Thieves' Guild
by kasa-hime
Summary: Youko and Kuronue undertake a thieves' dream. Finding the long lost city of Madain Sarai. Only problem: the daughter of the miko guarding the only map breaks it, and she's the only one who knows how to find the next clue. Youko/OC
1. Chapter 1

I do not own yu yu hakusho or the characters in it. I do however own everyone else.

**Chapter One**

Youko and Kuronue crept to the hut. It was said to have some amazing object there in ancient times. It was the only clue to lead them to the Madain Sarai. It was an ancient city, made entirely underground where an entire kingdom survived until they had to abandon it a century ago. The object was supposed to have a map of some sort in or on it.

It made sense to hide it here, in this small hut in the middle of nowhere on sacred ground.

The object was an orb held in the innermost room, they soon found out. The Man and Woman who lived here tried to stop them at the front room. Youko knocked them out with a plant and the two thieves moved on. Youko opened the door to the right. It showed sleeping children. Their ages must have ranged from fifteen to six. He closed the door softly and moved to the left one.

It led to a hallway. The room in question was at the end of the hall. Kuronue grabbed the glass orb from its place just as the door opened behind them. They twirled, coming face-to-face with a girl. She was probably the oldest of the children, around seventeen or eighteen, Youko guessed. She hadn't been sleeping with the other children.

With reddish brown hair, pale skin, and sparkling sapphire eyes, she was very beautiful. She wore a white haori with black hakama. The daughter of a Miko. Her eyes flickered between the two of them and the orb Kuronue was holding.

She dove for it. Kuronue wasn't fast enough, surprisingly. She was quick enough to knock it out of his grasp. He almost managed to pull away though, so she wasn't able to keep a hold on it. All three in the room dove to catch it, but it shattered on the floor despite their efforts.

Growling, Kuronue grabbed her and hauled her up by the front of her shirt. "Do you have any idea how valuable that was?"

"It's the only valuable thing we have. Of course I know. I know it better than you can imagine." She growled back at him. "Now look what you did!"

"What _we_…"

"Yes, you. Now we'll all have to leave, and Kami knows where we'll end up."

Kuronue was about to strangle her. "Stop." Youko ordered. "What do you mean, you know it better than we can imagine?"

She spat at him. "I'm not telling you anything"

Kuronue took the hint. "Do you know that it was a map to Madain Sarai?" He demanded.

"More than know it." She hinted. "Not that it'll help you now. Map's gone, unless you want to try to put all the pieces back together." She smiled. Youko couldn't fault her for it. She had merely done her duty. Protect the map, don't let anyone use it.

Kuronue punched her, sending her into the wall. She hit it with a thunk and a gasp, but soon had the smile back on her face. "And the best part is it isn't gone forever!" She laughed.

He went to kick her, but Youko stopped him. "You have it memorized." It wasn't a question, so she didn't answer. He took a step toward her. "You have every road, word, and village stored in your head."

"And? Not like you can get it from there."

Youko laughed. "Perhaps not, but maybe we can convince you to give us the information we came for."

With absolutely terrible timing, the youngest of the kids plodded down the hallway. He got to the door just as Kuronue did, and he seized him. Kuronue held a blade to the boy's throat.

"How about a trade. You tell us where Madain Sarai is, we'll let the boy live." The girl's jaw was set.

"Don't tell them Sis!" the boy yelled before Kuronue shushed him. A drop of blood fell from the blade. She hung her head.

"Fine. I'll warn you though, the map only leads you to a clue, not Madain Sarai. It's in a cave north of Acoma." She informed them. Youko hadn't expected her to give it up for a kid.

"And why should we believe you're telling us the truth? You could just be trying to get rid of us."

"It's my Mom's job to guard the secrets of the map. It's mine to take care of the kids. If you think I'm lying, let Haru go and I'll go with you."

"No! Ayume, don't!" The boy yelled. Tears streamed down his face.

"Ayume huh?" Kuronue dropped the boy, knocking him out with a swift jab to the neck. "Alright, at this point I'm willing to believe her Youko. On your feet girl." She stood grudgingly.

Obviously she didn't exactly want to tag along. She stumbled on her way to the door, barely catching herself on the frame. Youko picked her up. "Don't complain. We're in a hurry." She didn't.

Once they were a good distance away, Youko put her down and told her and Kuronue to wait. He came back less than an hour later with a change of clothes. "You may be our only key to success, but the men won't appreciate the daughter of a Miko. Change."

Ayume took the bundle and ducked behind a tree out of their sight, but not their hearing. Best not to push her luck. She slipped out of her clothes. She took the underclothes he provided and put them on. Then she grabbed bandages from her old clothes and bound her breasts flat. She pulled her hair back in a high ponytail, not much different than Kuronue's.

The dark blue top she was fine with. The skirt, not so much. She threw it out at them and told Youko to try again. She didn't get to see his smirk, but about three seconds later slim fitting black pants were thrown at her. She pulled on the provided boots and grabbed what was left of her things from her clothes. Mostly herbs and bandages, but a couple of throwing knives. Close combat was not her forte.

Youko was not expecting what he saw. He thought she would look good in the clothes, even more beautiful than before. She _did_ look good. Just not in the way he was expecting.

He saw the clothes were a bit too big. She'd used it well. With her breasts bound, her hair up, and her figure hidden, she looked like a boy. From her belt hung a couple of sheathed throwing knives. She looked like a proper thief.

"Not what I had in mind, but it'll work. How's your ankle?"

"Fine." She snapped. "I'll walk." Her tone would have frozen a lesser demon in his tracks.

As it was… "You're lucky your voice is low enough to pass for a boy's. Much higher, and I would have a very hard time explaining it. Come on. Ten miles east of here is our camp."

To her credit, Ayume didn't complain once. Even in the short intervals where they walked instead of running to give her legs a rest, she said not a word. She was good at stubbornness at least. If only all their men were that determined.

It took them until sunrise to arrive at camp. Most of the men were asleep. Ayume didn't take the chance to sit. It seemed she would rather be on her feet for her first meeting with their bandit group. A group she was now part of. It was a good choice on her part.

"Wake up!" Youko roared pleasantly. The men were instantly awake. They looked up at their leader groggily before taking in the new person standing next to him. "This is Ayume. He happened to get in our way when we went to steal the map, but he had enough time with it to get it memorized. So although the map is gone, we're using him to lead us to Madain Sarai. He's one of us now. Treat him well."

Ayume was then pulled through a flurry of introductions and punches and insults and general acceptance. Until one of the men, Livoso, yelled "This kid's human!"

Ayume turned to him. "And?" She demanded dangerously.

Livoso turned to her. "You won't last five minutes here with us. Go home kid, and leave the big stuff to us." Ayume turned her head to look him square in the face. This was a moment of reckoning. If she backed down, they would walk all over her.

"Make me." She growled. Could she win against a demon? Who knew? Could she try? Most definitely.

He aimed a back slap at her face. She slipped to the side at the last second and twirled, grabbing his arm and using his momentum to flip him over her onto his back. He swept her feet out from under her, but she caught herself near the ground as he was using the movement to land upright. Her foot swung in a neat arc toward his head, hitting him in the temple. The move carried her to her feet as he dropped.

As dishonorable as she was not, he waited until she went to help him up to attack again, giving a sucker punch to the gut. She stumbled back, but he wasn't quick enough for a second shot. She dove to his side, dodging his follow up punch and swept her foot out to knock into his knees. They bent, and quick as a wink she grabbed a fistful of his hair and shoved his face into the dirt, her foot stepping on his nearby hand, preventing it from moving.

Silence reigned as he struggled fruitlessly against her grip. Eventually he stopped moving. "Are we done here?" She demanded. He nodded.

She let him up, but this time she was taking no chances. The instant she let him go she was five feet away, out of surprise attack range. He didn't try anything. She had won when he had fought dishonorably. He knew she was superior to him.

Youko and Kuronue watched with interest. "And that's after five straight hours running." Youko whispered to his partner.

"No worries about whether or not she can hold her own against the men." Kuronue clapped his hands, gaining everyone's attention. "Now that we have that out of the way…" Laughter from the men, "we should welcome Ayume." The suggestion was welcomed with cheering. Ayume got many pats on the back for a fight well fought. Even young Hiei poked his head out of hiding to gaze at her with interest.

Him, that is. After all, Ayume was currently a boy.

It was around midday two days later when they were attacked by a family who'd been had by Youko's group in the past. There were thirty-seven of them. Too many for Youko and Kuronue to handle easily. All the men got ready for a fight, but Ayume surprised him by stepping forward.

"Is there any chance you will step out of the way and let us pass so we don't have to kill you?" He asked. The enemy demons screamed at him in rage and attacked. He sighed, flipping out one of his knives and throwing it. At first, Youko thought he missed, but Ayume closed his hand and the dagger changed trajectory, spinning in a full circle around the entire family. The attacking demons slammed together, as if tied by a rope. He flipped his hand up and around, tying the invisible string in a knot as the dagger ran out of cord and embedded itself in the ground.

Now that it was still, a blue thread shimmered into view. He'd made a cord out of spirit power to connect to the knife. The family, now tied up thoroughly, cussed at him. "I'll ask once more. Will you just let us pass, or do I have to kill you?" He got a loud negative response from both sides. He lowered his head. "I gave you two chances. So be it." He gripped the energy cord in his hand tighter and yanked, forcing it to tighten around its prey so quickly it ripped them to pieces. He pulled back on the cord again and the pieces still attached were torn apart as well.

He let go, and the cord disappeared. A thinner one appeared in his hand that he pulled. His dagger pulled out of the ground and flew back to him. He sheathed it before stepping forward to look at his work. All thirty-seven were either dead or well on the way to being so. He took pity on the living ones and finished them off.

Kuronue stepped forward. "Can you only do that because they're demons?" He whispered to Ayume. Ayume didn't move his sad eyes from the dead demons.

"They were in the way. Right now, in your way is in _my_ way. I want to get home. Unfortunately, I can't do that until you find the clue to Madain Sarai. Human or demon, they'd best get out of our way." He turned and walked away from them, in the direction of Acoma.

Youko walked up behind Kuronue. "And that's the daughter of a Miko. Infinitely sad about killing _demons_."

"Then why'd she do it?"

"I'm not sure," was all he could say as he watched Ayume get surrounded by the men. "Perhaps to save time. Perhaps to punish herself." His eyes narrowed. "Perhaps to prove to us that she isn't at as much of a disadvantage as we assume. Perhaps in order to convince herself of it as well. I'm not entirely sure she herself could give you the answer."

"I guess it could be nearly anything."

"From here on we should refer to Ayume as 'he'. Who knows what the men could overhear." Youko suggested.

"You're the boss. I'm just your right-wing-man." Kuronue teased, spreading his bat wings.

Livoso had just caught up to Ayume. "Man am I glad you didn't do that to me." He praised. "How did you do that kid? I've never met a human with such control."

"Uh…I…" Embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head trying to come up with an answer. "I guess…you know…I um…" He grabbed at air for an answer, but he didn't come up with anything.

Livoso laughed at his awkwardness. "It's okay kid. You can tell me when you come up with a good lie." Ayume dropped his head, his cheeks turning red. "Ah, would you look at that! Young Hiei's decided to come take a good look at you."

Ayume followed his gaze to see a short young demon with red eyes and gravity defying black hair. The demon's eyes held a burning curiosity, but his face housed a deep scowl at Livoso's words. Ayume sent a disarming smile at the kid before turning back to Livoso, giving the kid space to stare in peace.

Hiei knew it was a risk to come out and look at the human. Curiosity spurred him into action though. Unlike all the other members of the small band, Ayume seemed unruffled by his stare. He'd actually smiled back. Hiei was stunned into stopping. "Hey brat! Get moving!" Rough hands shoved him from behind, too fast, making him fall forward. He caught himself wrong, bending his wrist in the wrong direction and crying out in pain.

He knew he was about to be hauled to his feet and punished as usual by the demon who'd told him to get moving. Unexpectedly, nothing came. "Leave him be." A soft voice growled. He dared to open his eyes and look up.

Ayume had caught the arm that was reaching toward him in a viselike grip. His eyes glimmered with fury. The demon, Kahoka, tried to attack him anyway with a kick. Unlike in her fight with Livoso, who was completely justified in his objection, Ayume didn't hold back. Faster than his eyes could follow, her foot was in Kahoka's gut, and in the next instant he was ten feet away and rolling.

He could literally see the power surrounding Ayume. As Ayume advanced, Youko and Kuronue helped him up. "Honorable, isn't he?"

"He has a little brother, remember. _You_ should." Youko retorted.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Kuronue asked, not really caring if Kahoka got his ass handed to him. "Ayume might kill him."

"Good riddance. We've told him twice before to leave Hiei alone. Ayume's just enforcing it for us. You know the rule. Once, a warning. Twice, a punishment. Thrice means death. If Ayume doesn't kill him, we will."

"Please no!" Kahoka yelled. Ayume stood over him, his foot on his neck, as he was tied by Ayume's power. He looked up to Youko and Kuronue.

"I won't kill him without your permission." His voice rang out. None of the men protested his death, looking to their leaders for the verdict.

Youko didn't hesitate. "You have it." Ayume crushed his neck with his foot at the same time the cord tightened enough to crush him. It was a bloodless death, but a painfully quick one and just as effective as chopping demons to pieces.

And this was the true anger of the young girl. She'd held back against Livoso because he was justified in his dismissal of her. She felt remorse for killing many demons who did nothing more than get in her way. Demons she'd also held back against. Kahoka, though, got the full force of her power, physical and spiritual. Kahoka was not one of his strongest men, but he _was_ strong as far as demons in general went. He was not one to be trifled with, and he was a valuable asset despite any moral shortcomings. She had defeated him within a minute and emerged unscathed; killed him with no hesitation or sadness.

In defense of a demon child.

Now Youko understood. She was strong and fast, hard to beat in close combat. Her power was conditioned to be used for specifically long distance, also strong and fast. Put the two together, and not many stood a fraction of a chance.

But why hadn't she used that power on Kuronue or himself? The answer hit him like a brick. She wasn't defending anything important to _her_, merely fulfilling her mother's duty. She also must have had some sense that they hadn't really intended to kill Haru, or she would've fought back. She didn't like to do harm. But she seemed to have a strict code she lived by, and what she tolerated from those around her was and unbendable part of that code.

She would fight and win for it. She would kill those that specifically broke her code and dared remain in her presence. Kahoka had been given warning. He had broken her code, and attempted to break it again after she'd told him to stop. That was an intolerable offense. She was as picky about her code as a taiyoukai.

He would have to study her carefully and learn it, lest something similar happen to him.

"You go Kid!" One of the men shouted at him. Ayume, startled, searched for the voice's owner.

"Kiev, right?" He asked. The demon nodded. "Thanks…I guess." The men didn't swarm him this time. They understood him now. Killing wasn't something Ayume wanted to do, but they were impressed by his efficiency at doing it.

"Don't regret it. Kahoka was a bastard and a fool." Kiev ordered, seeing the look in the boy's face. "Head up, Kid. If you hadn't killed him, Youko-sama or Kuronue-sama would have."

"It's still a waste. Don't get me wrong, put me in the same situation again, and I would gladly kill him again, but…" He frowned, searching for the words. "Life should be cherished, in any form. Not destroyed."

"Do you think Kahoka thought the same?" Youko inquired. Ayume shook his head. "Then don't worry about it. If he destroyed life, wouldn't it be better to destroy him so there would be life left to cherish?" The look on his face cleared.

"Yeah. I get it." Ayume smiled up at him.

This kid confused his men a little. They didn't live by his views, but they were beginning to understand them. They'd never encountered someone quite like him before. Willing to kill, but hating the idea of it. Loving life, but delivering death. In a kill-or-be-killed world, it was strange to encounter such a person. The first day, after he had refused to fight the majority of his men, he'd allowed Uzi to hit him with no consequences.

"I said I will not fight you, and I will not fight you. We're working together now." He had said, and then he'd turned away, stalking to the edge of the camp to sulk. It seemed he wouldn't turn on his teammates unless they gave him a damn good reason.

And today, he had deferred to Youko in a way not many demons would have. He wouldn't blame Ayume if he'd just killed Kahoka. But he hadn't. He'd left the decision of losing one of his men up to Youko and Kuronue. His code led him to respect not only his companions, but also their rules and his own stature among them.

"Thirty-eight dead in one day." Ayume said from beside them as they walked, hours later. "That's not even a record." Kuronue and Youko turned to him, seeing he'd closed his eyes. "Do you know I've seen every person I've killed? I look at them as they die, or once they're dead. I remember every one. When it comes time, I'll know exactly how many deaths I'm accountable for."

"Why do you do that?" Kuronue asked.

"Because all life is sacred. I will not, however, put the survival of those who do not deserve it before my own."

"But those demons…you blame yourself for it. You gave them a chance. Two chances in fact. That's far more than they deserved. In fact, I can't imagine anyone else giving them such a chance."

"They deserved it. The only thing they had against them the first time was being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong intentions. The second time was just suicidal stubbornness. I didn't give Kahoka a chance."

"Kahoka didn't deserve it. He deserved worse than the quick death you gave him. Besides, you did give him a chance, just you didn't place the chance in Kahoka's hands." Kuronue looked sideways at him. "You are an amazingly honorable kid. You would give the devil his chance for remorse. I never thought someone like that would even exist, let alone be a human."

That startled a laugh out of Ayume. He tilted his head to look at the sky. "Honor, huh?"


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. Everyone else, however, belongs to me.

**Chapter Two**

Ayume was a fast learner. Still it had taken her four weeks to learn to pick pockets effectively, pick locks, stay quiet and unseen, _and_ steal from actual people. She shook her head. She wasn't the master thief Youko or Kuronue was, but she was actually passable now. Just so her own kin would look at her, learning the thieves' arts as the daughter of a well respected Miko.

She actually found life in Youko and Kuronue's crew enjoyable. She didn't have daily trainings, lessons on how to kill, lectures on how bad demons were. She felt free and unrestricted in a way she never had before. She could see why people might choose this way of life. She had friends, and Hiei was almost like a little brother. He'd taken quite the liking to her. Livoso and Kiev always had some joke or anecdote to fill time.

Still, keeping up on her skills was essential. Any time they stopped to rest –and she got odd looks for it- she spent it practicing either fighting or spells. Livoso and Kiev actually joined her from time to time. The three of them learned from each other. Livoso was a cat demon, agile and fast. She improved in both areas as he improved in strength and technique. Kiev was an elemental demon. He taught her how to put more power behind an attack. She taught him to make his more flexible.

Youko and Kuronue watched such practices with approval. The rest of the band got used to it. Some even took up the practice, though they never practiced _with_ Ayume. Their reasons were clear to everyone _but_ Ayume. Ayume would outshine them easily. To be seen right next to her and be compared would be embarrassing.

At this day, they were on the northern outskirts of Acoma. Ayume never expected to dread the moment where Youko and Kuronue would ask her to leave. The past month had had quite an effect on her, and she wasn't sure she wanted to leave this life she'd grown to like so much.

This point in time would be when they _really_ needed her. The cave of Acoma was a maze, mapped only inside her head. One could get lost in there for days or never find their way back out. "Not bad for a base once we find Madain Sarai then." Kuronue had joked when she told them exactly how confusing the cave system would be.

"Do you _want_ a base? I was under the impression you _liked_ wandering around aimlessly." Ayume teased. Youko and Kuronue both laughed at her, but they sobered quickly.

"You don't really know what it's like, but it can be hard to not have a place you can call home. The men yearn for one too."

Ayume considered for a moment. "If you wanted, you could turn the entire cave system into a headquarters. You could gather thieves and bandits from all over the place and coordinate their movements from here. It would be like a city for thieves. A 'Thieves' Guild' or something to that effect. Then you _would_ always have a home, and so would everyone you decided to share it with. All the members would have to be sworn to secrecy, though, and the location couldn't exactly be common knowledge." She looked thoughtful as the two stared at her in shock. "I think it would work. The system's confusing enough to lose any pursuers and there's enough room for thousands. You'd have to find a water source for it though. And a food source. Perhaps make the entire Acoma area your territory and the system your HQ and hideout. That way you would have access to trade. I'll have to think on that a bit more, if you're serious about doing it." She finally turned to look at them to find them both staring at her as if she'd lost her mind. "What?"

"You're serious?" Kuronue stuttered. "You…wow Youko, she's diabolical." He shook his head in awe. "And you would help us to do something like that? You, the daughter of a Miko?"

"Well, yeah. I _am_ the one who suggested it. Besides, it might be a good change. Kind of like this group it would have rules, and of course a leader. Probably you two. It would also bring some prosperity here. If you haven't noticed, Acoma doesn't really seem to have much. That'll be one thing to use to get the people of the village to agree to keep us a secret and trade with us." Neither demon missed that she said "us" and not "you".

"We'll figure it out after we find Madain Sarai, but in the meantime you could map out the cave system. It never hurts to plan for the possibility of this Thieves' Guild." Youko suggested noncommittally. He liked the idea, but who knew if it would really be feasible? To be known to a village and kept a secret? To gather hundreds of thieves under one set of rules and regulations? To trade with stolen goods for food and other goods? To coexist peacefully?

Though only a select few from the village would need to know exactly who they were and where to find them. The others could simply assume they were regular merchants that included Acoma on a trade route. They wouldn't have to use the same people all the time… "Damn." He said aloud, catching his partner's attention, as Ayume had wandered off.

"She's got you seriously considering it, hasn't she? Ayume is amazingly good at persuasion. The more I think about the idea, the more I like it."

"The more I think about the idea, the more I realize how we can make it work. Even if she doesn't help us form this guild, she would definitely be a founder of it if it came around."

"If? I'm pretty sure you mean when."

In the end, Youko, Kuronue, and Ayume were the only ones going in. They were leaving the men to guard against their return. Ayume, as the only one who knew the way, was in the lead.

Twist and turn after twist and turn were beginning to make Kuronue uneasy. "I think I've seen that boulder three times." He commented after a while.

"The place is set up to make you confused, to make you think you are lost even when you aren't. You'll see a lot of similar scenery and repeated distinguishing features." Ayume replied. She stopped and closed her eyes. "Left, straight, straight, right, straight left should bring us to a room with three other doors."

Trusting her against all instinct, the two demons followed her closely as they delved deeper into the caves. As she'd said, they soon arrived in a large cave with a small stream running through it. "Perhaps we should rest." Youko suggested. "It seems an ideal spot."

"How much farther do we have to go?" Kuronue asked.

Ayume finished guzzling water long enough to answer. "It shouldn't be far now. Maybe a half-an-hour walk from here." She put down the water skin. "I'm surprised we haven't run into anything at all down here. I mean, you'd think that some odd demon would move in."

Immediately Youko and Kuronue were fully on guard. They thought something had been odd about the atmosphere in the place. Unlike what Ayume seemed to think, there were demons down here. It wasn't that there wasn't anything here, but they were refraining from attacking…for now.

Ayume's guard had never fell, and both saw that they really didn't need to tell her to be careful. She continued leading the way, through twists and turns and hard to see caves. Turn after turn made the two very glad they had Ayume there. They never would have been able to navigate this place on their own.

Eventually, going down a long, narrow corridor they hit a dead end. Youko and Kuronue were confused for a minute. Ayume hadn't run into one yet, so why now? "End of the line." Ayume looked around. "Guys look! There's something there!" She was pointing high above their heads. A shadowed niche had hidden a small chest in its shadowy embrace.

Kuronue spread his wings and flew up to it."Locked." He reported after a quick check.

"Can you bring it down?" Youko inquired. Kuronue didn't answer. Instead he grabbed the small box from its place. As soon as he did, the ceiling above them started to cave, dropping large, sharp boulders into the ground not far from where Ayume and Youko were standing. "Ayume, go!" He yelled, pushing her back the way they'd come. "Kuronue, land and run! Being airborne is not an advantage here!"

Ayume was the first one out of the long corridor, landing unceremoniously on her butt. Youko and Kuronue were half a step behind her. "Anybody hurt?" she gasped as she took inventory of her own hurts.

"Nothing bad." Kuronue bit out. One of the falling boulders had clipped his left arm leaving a nasty bruise, but thankfully not a break. Youko denied having been hurt at all. Ayume had nothing more than scrapes and bruises from sharp pebbles that had fallen as they ran. Nothing serious. "Let's see if this was worth all that." Kuronue said, setting the chest down on a rock where he could get at it. He quickly picked the lock, and the chest clicked open revealing a scroll embedded with gems and tied with gold ribbon.

"What's it say?" Youko demanded. Ayume picked it up and carefully removed the ribbon, opening the old scroll and reading aloud:

"_A city buried underground,_

_Built of silver, copper, and gold._

_For centuries t'was never found,_

_Left till legends all grew cold._

_Those who search with eyes so keen,_

_Need only see where others look,_

_And never was a treasure seen,_

_To find what no one ever took._

_Past where snow turns to water,_

_Far from where the rain can reach,_

_Beneath a place that can't be hotter,_

_Lays a fortune you can leech."_

"Great. It means absolutely nothing." Kuronue sighed. Ayume smacked him upside the head.

"It means a lot idiot! Okay, maybe not the first verse, but the other two are helpful! It's hidden underground near a volcano far south of here in a place where people live nearby, or did for quite a while." Both demons looked at her in shock and awe. "There's just one thing that doesn't make sense to me. Madain Sarai was abandoned _a century_ ago. How does _"For centuries t'was never found/Left till legends all grew cold"_ fit into that?"

"Maybe whoever wrote this wasn't expecting anyone to go looking so soon." Kuronue suggested.

"Maybe," Ayume agreed hesitantly, clearly not believing that was all there was to it. "We'll figure it out once we're out of this place. How-."

A loud screech interrupted whatever she was going to say. The screech was followed by a roar. Youko turned to Ayume. "Something tells me it will be harder to get _out_ than it was to get _in_."

"Look at it as house cleaning. After all, when you make your base here, you won't want it infested by those things." Ayume assured him with a smirk.

"You seem rather full of yourself. What makes you think I even like your idea?" Youko protested. Ayume turned to look him square in the face.

"Half because of the way you looked when I suggested it." She answered. "Come on. There _are_ people waiting for us." She started to walk, drawing her two daggers expertly, twirling them on her fingers before gripping them in reverse –a defensive position.

Kuronue and Youko flanked her, weapons drawn. The flood of demons didn't start for three turns. Ayume, who knew the corridors better than anyone, was able to sneak up on the first wave. They shuffled and complained as they waited for their intruders to emerge from the cave. Kuronue took the first attack, slicing two rows of them clean in half with his blades. His arm protested painfully at the strain. Ayume took the living ones as Youko covered her back watching for any others coming.

One they were disposed of, Ayume marched up to him with that stubborn look on her face. "Why didn't you tell us it hurt that bad?" She demanded. "You barely caught your own weapon!"

"I didn't…it didn't…"

Her expression softened. "We need to know that kind of stuff. Especially in situations like this when it's the three of us against Kami knows how many. We need to know all our weaknesses so they aren't exploited. Not just that, but we're your friends! You can tell us stuff like that. _We_ certainly aren't going to hurt you."

Kuronue turned away from her. "Friendship is an illusion. We are _partners_. Nothing more. You were needed only to find this clue. Don't think you mean more to us than that." He stalked past her. She didn't move.

"Get out on your own." She growled. "After all, you don't _need_ me for that, do you? Just to find your way in." Her eyes flared with fury, actually beginning to glow in the darkness. "Go on. Lead the way, Kuronue-_sama_. I'm sure you know the way."

She slipped a piece of paper into Youko's hand as she stormed by before disappearing from sight. He hid it in his shirt from Kuronue's sight. "Come on Youko. You remember the way out, right?"

Even if he didn't, Ayume had just given him the key.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. I do, however, own everyone else.

**Chapter Three**

Ayume waited patiently near the entrance to the cave system. She didn't go out far enough for her friends to see, hear, or smell her, but she wasn't too far away. Youko and Kuronue would have to come by this way eventually. She leaned her back against the cave wall painfully. It seemed almost as if all the demons in the place had honed in on her once she left Youko and Kuronue alone.

Perhaps it was because she seemed to be the most helpless, or she was the easiest prey alone. She'd taken a nice few injuries. Not only that, but she drained the majority of her power. With what was left directed toward healing, she really _was_ helpless.

She would give them another hour before she tracked them down to help them out. By then the worst of her injuries would be healed. Her sensed expanded, noting the few remaining demonic auras in the system. They belonged to Youko, Kuronue, or the men near the exit. Youko's was still at full power. Kuronue's was diminished slightly, but that was to be expected. They were also nearby, and approaching.

So they hadn't run into much trouble. That was good. She let her head drop as her eyes drifted shut and she was asleep within seconds. She was mildly aware of someone shaking her, but it didn't pull her nearly close enough to the surface to wake her up.

Once Kuronue had calmed down enough to regret his harsh words, Youko showed him the map Ayume had given him to help them find their way out. That had made him feel even worse. Ayume was a really nice kid. She looked out for them even when it _wasn't_ advantageous to her.

He was growing really attached to her. He was also starting to worry. Every turn they took let them to another mound of dead demons. Upon examination, it looked a lot like Ayume's work. She _had_ to be getting tired. Even if she was amazingly strong for a human, she wasn't invincible.

Youko was the first to spot her. They were near the entrance by now. She was slumped against the wall with her head down. The scent of her blood hit him like a brick when he got close enough. He ran up to her, kneeling down so he was at her level.

She was unconscious. He shook her, but got no response. "Is she okay?" Kuronue asked from behind him. Youko checked her pulse. It was slow and steady under his fingers, and her breathing was normal.

"Debatably. She certainly isn't fine at this moment, but I think she will be." The few dangerous-looking injuries she had were already healing. The others certainly wouldn't kill her. The only question would be how long would she sleep?

Youko picked her up. Kuronue looked surprised. "She won't wake up?" he demanded.

"No. I assume she'll sleep until she's fully recovered. Her spirit power is completely drained, and what little body energy she had left is focused entirely on healing. She can't be up and moving around or she'll use the energy her body needs to heal and function." Kuronue nodded. That made sense to him.

"How long do you think that'll take?"

"If she were and ordinary human, at least two weeks. Ayume? It's hard to tell. She has usable spirit power. Whatever she regenerates while asleep will probably also be put toward healing. I've never observed exactly how much that speeds up the process."

Hiei looked up as he heard footsteps coming from inside the cave. He could hear only two distinct sets. Odd considering Kuronue-sama, Youko-sama, and Ayume-kun had all gone in together. Livoso stood suddenly. Hiei looked up at him.

"What's wrong with Ayume-kun?" He demanded. Hiei shot to his feet. He couldn't see into the darkness like Livoso could, but he strained his eyes anyway.

"We got separated." He heard Youko answer. "Every demon in the cave seemed to go after _him_ since he was alone." Now Hiei could see them. Kuronue was slightly hurt. Youko looked fine. Ayume didn't look anywhere near fine.

Kiev spoke up. "What' wrong wit' him?"

"Exhaustion mixed with being injured." Kuronue answered. "He'll sleep for awhile." Hiei resisted the urge to see for himself that Ayume was still alive. Youko and Kuronue wouldn't lie to them about something like that. Instead he closed his eyes and focused.

Since demon hearts didn't beat the way humans' did, it was easy to pick out his heartbeat. It was slow, slower even than when he slept, but it was definitely there.

It took three days for Ayume to wake up. Three days in which it was nearly impossible to tear Hiei away from him. Livoso was actually mildly entertained by this once they were absolutely sure he wasn't going to die. It was odd though. He was so used to having Ayume awake that his sleeping actually began to grate on his nerves.

The kid did nothing slowly. Not even waking up from a three-day-sleep. He went from fast asleep one second to sitting up the next. Nearly scared Hiei's pants off.

Once he was actually aware of what was going on, Ayume looked at Hiei. He smiled a bit and hugged him. Ayume was nearly knocked back by the force behind it. "Hiei, Hiei. Don't kill me please." Ayume teased him. Livoso had never seen Hiei cry before. His tears turned into little red gems.

Ayume hugged him back. After a few moments, Hiei's tears stopped. Obviously he was embarrassed at his own actions, because he pulled away really quickly. Ayume didn't look surprised. He stood and stretched. Ruffling Hiei's hair on the way by, Ayume headed toward Livoso and Kiev.

"Hey sleepyhead." Livoso greeted him as he walked up. "Finally decide to wake up?"

"Apparently." He replied, his voice still coated with sleep. He grimaced. Kiev handed Ayume his water skin. He took and drank it gladly. "Thanks Kiev. How long was I asleep?"

"Oh jus' a few days. No'ing big." Kiev answered with a smirk. "I didn' know you talked in yer sleep." Ayume jerked. Mouth open, he gabbled for a few moments before Kiev took pity on him. "Oh don' worry. Only a few words were even intelligible. You must've been dreamin' some weird stuff though. Wha's a 'Likora' an'way?"

Ayume didn't show any surprise this time. "It's…nothing." He didn't say anything else on the subject. "What've you guys been doing while I was asleep?"

"Ayume!" The three heard Kuronue call. "If you're up, come see us!"

"If I'm up?" Ayume couldn't help but ask. "Why in the world say 'if I'm up?' I'm sure if he hasn't seen me, Hiei's told him."

"He's tryin' to be polite. He ain't suceedin' though. I mus' say, he seems to regard you pre'y highly Kid."

Ayume smirked and punched Kiev lightly on the arm. "Why can't any of you ever use my name. I think even you can pronounce it Kiev. A-yu-me. Say it with me. A-yu-me."

"A-yu-me." Livoso and Kiev chorused. "Now go run along and see our fearless leaders _Kid."_ Livoso ordered, stressing the fact he wasn't using Ayume's name.

Ayume groaned in mock-annoyance before heading off to where she knew Youko and Kuronue would be. They were in their tent with a map spread out on the floor as well as the scroll with the poem on it. "Confused?" Ayume inquired when they looked up at her.

"Very. How did you know what this stupid thing was talking about?" Kuronue demanded.

Ayume sat down. "Okay, let's look at the obvious first. The first line says _'A city buried underground.' _I think you can tell what this means. In the second verse it says _"Those who search with eyes so keen/Need only see where others look/And never was a treasure seen/To find what no one ever took.'_ This means people have looked there before. More than one person because it says '_others look.'_ The only way the writer could know this was if…" She let the sentence hang

"If people lived nearby. And the location?"

"'_Past where ice turns to water'_ means someplace warm. It's either north of where it snows in the south, or it's south of where it snows in the north. We're pretty far north, so the only option is south of here. _'Far from where the rain can reach' _ is another stress on it being underground, probably made to prevent the water seeping through the soil to rain on them. _'Beneath a place that can't be hotter'_ is going to be a volcano. It's simply the hottest place on the surface. But a city can't literally be _under_ a volcano, so it has to be nearby."

"That's all obvious to you?" Kuronue demanded.

Ayume looked surprised at the question. "Well…yes." She hesitated before nodding.

"What isn't obvious?" Youko inquired.

"That will take a bit more explaining since it's only speculation. The _'For centuries t'was never found'_ bothered me. It's only been abandoned for one century. The person who wrote this was taking everything into account. There's no way he or she wouldn't have expected someone to go looking so soon." She paused.

"And?" Kuronue prompted.

"And I think it's been there for quite awhile longer than we think it's been. Someone built it a long time ago, before King Jules got his hands on it. Jules found this thing too. It was how _he_ found Madain Sarai. He wasn't the one to build it. There may not be anything left there anymore."

The two bandits digested this. "But if that's true, why leave the poem in a place like where he did?" Youko asked. "Why leave the map? He could have left them in Madain Sarai, or better yet, destroyed them."

"He left them because he had to abandon Madain Sarai. The poem might be ancient, but did you get a good look at the orb? It's little over a century old. It was so he, or a descendent, could find their way back."

It made sense. Too much sense for Youko's liking. "But-."

"Don't get me wrong. Jules could have left the entire fortune down in the city, as his predecessor had done. I just want to warn you. Jules had a record for being greedy. If there isn't much left, I don't want it to be an enormous shock to you." Meaning she didn't want them to be depressed because this shot at a fortune had been too long a shot.

"What else?"

"The next part may get your hopes back up. At the very end of the poem it says _'Lays a fortune you can leech.'_ It may just be because they couldn't find a different word for it, but a leech doesn't dictate where its host goes. It may be possible that no one can move the entire fortune at once. Meaning…"

"We have half a chance Jules took it all, and half a chance he couldn't. A fifty-fifty shot at the fortune of a lifetime."

"But it also means if it _is_ there, you can't move it all either." Ayume paused a moment until she saw those words sink in. "You can only move a bit at a time if even that, or you can stay there and keep the fortune close at hand."

"Anything else?"

"'_Built of silver, copper, and gold.'" _She prompted.

"It's made of the metals." Kuronue tried.

"It'll narrow down the possible locations. Sure there are a lot of volcanoes in the temperature we're looking for. Sure there are a lot of people crazy enough to live close to them. But how many have silver, copper, _and_ gold deposits nearby? If they took only what they used from one area, all three metals had to be mined together. Put that together with '_And never was a treasure seen' _and what do you get?"

Youko figured it out first. "The entire city is in a mine. They took the metal from the mine, turned around and made it into a city."

"Good job. You now know everything I know. Any questions?"

"See if you can find a place like that on the map. We already found all of the volcanoes south of here, since you told us that much back in the caves."

"I don't know where to find metals in the ground." Ayume protested.

"Then we're in the same boat. Please Ayume." Kuronue asked.

She caved. "Alright, fine." She sat cross-legged in front of the map. "I know for certain these four have towns nearby." She began, pointing. "Silver has been found in this general area, and copper here. They're still mining though, so it should be safe to say Madain Sarai isn't there. That leaves these two. Considering one is so close to the beach, I'd say it was this one," she continued, pointing to Mount Kava near the city of Holon, "Because the other would've run too much a risk of flooding in the making."

"And you said you had no idea." Youko stated.

"There might be others. I didn't take into account the fact that whatever city there might have been could be ruins by now. I'm just saying that Kava is a good a place to start as any." The conversation over, Ayume ducked out of the tent.

"This will be a long trip." Youko sighed.

"We could run it. The men can run for days. You know that." Kuronue suggested.

"And if it isn't the right place? Shall we run them to the next place?"

"If it isn't, we can rest there for awhile. If it _is_ we'll have no reason to."

"And Ayume? How long do you think sh-he can run?" Youko shook his head. "If we do run it, we'll have to keep a close eye on him. He's too proud to say he's tired."

"We'll have to keep an eye on everyone anyway. The weaker ones and the younger ones. People like Livoso and Kiev can last about as long as us, but ones like Uzi and Hiei…" Both demons' eyes widened.

"Hiei. Ayume will kill us if something happens to him." Youko thought for a moment. "All right. We'll run it, but we're taking stops whenever Hiei or Ayume look tired."

"You know, for a Miko's kid, Ayume sure does like demons. I mean sh-he doesn't mind being surrounded by the bunch of us, and he practically adopts Hiei as his little brother."

"A Miko's kid?" Livoso demanded from the door of the tent.

Kuronue's and Youko's attention snapped to the wide-eyed cat demon. _'Damn,'_ they both thought at the same time.

* * *

In case you're wondering about just how strong people are:

A class- Youko, Kuronue

B class- (upper) Kiev, Livoso (lower) Ayume's mom

C class- (upper) Ayume (lower) Uzi

D class- Hiei


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Yu Yu Hausho or its characters. I do, however, own everyone else.

**Chapter Four**

Livoso watched Ayume carefully. Finding out his mother was a Miko had sent him close to a panic. Miko were dangerous, and they usually trained their kids in the same arts. Only having spent the past month with the kid was stopping him from confronting him about it.

It did explain where Ayume had learned to fight the way he did. It didn't come nearly close to explaining his ease around the demons of the group. In fact, Ayume should have been very uncomfortable. Youko and Kuronue had explained to him exactly how they met Ayume, and how they got him to help them find Madain Sarai. Really, his lineage raised more questions than it answered.

Thieves have no history. That idea had been drilled into him since he was a kid. Now it was playing over and over again in his head. Sure Ayume had never really mentioned who his mother was, but he didn't exactly hide it either. Looking back at some of their conversations, he could add up the hints.

Thieves have no history. Don't ask a thief about his past.

But Ayume wasn't really a thief.

He was now.

Damn, but this was not a good way to find out about something of this magnitude. Ayume was the child of demonkinds' most dangerous enemy. Ayume was a friend to demons, and treated Hiei like a little brother. Ayume's mother would hate them. Ayume loved them. Given the chance, Ayume's mother would kill them all. Given the choice, who would Ayume side with?

If Youko and Kuronue hadn't sworn him to secrecy he would tell Kiev and get some help sorting it out. What would Ayume choose? This life or his old one? If he had the answer to that question, Livoso felt he could relax. But how to go about getting it?

Ayume could feel Livoso watching her. She had a guess as to where the sudden mistrust had come from. He'd been heading to see Youko and Kuronue as she'd been leaving. They could easily have been talking about her and he'd overheard something.

But what had he heard? The she was a girl? Probably not. He would confront her about. That she wasn't really, nor had ever been a thief? He probably wouldn't care. In his mind, simply being there made her as much of a thief as the rest of them. He couldn't deny that she wasn't very skillful at anything thievery related and that they'd taught her a lot.

The answer hit her like a brick. Her mother was a Miko. Demons feared Miko. Being the son of one, as Livoso no doubt thought she was, would bring immediate suspicion. Miko hated demons, and raised their children to think the same. Miko killed demons, and raised their children to do the same. The only reason Ayume didn't mind that they were demons was because she'd been forced among them. Granted, she'd started liking them almost immediately, but she never would have if not forced into the situation.

"Ayume-kun?" She heard Hiei ask. She turned to look at the boy. Face angled toward the ground, Hiei kicked at the dirt with his foot in such a childish way that Ayume had to stop herself from either laughing or messing his hair because he was so cute.

"Hiei-chan." She answered after a long pause, prompting him to speak.

He looked up at her then. "You…do you…" he began, losing his nerve. With an indulgent sigh, she crouched so she could look him in his eyes.

"Hiei-chan, you have to talk for me to understand what you're trying to say. I'm good, but I'm no mind-reader. C'mon. You can talk to me." He was turning red in embarrassment for being so tongue tied.

Hiei couldn't believe himself. He never had this much trouble talking to Ayume. Granted, he didn't talk much, but when he wanted to he never _couldn't_. Suddenly he wished he had Ayume's mouth. The guy was never at a loss for words, even at moments that left most others speechless.

"Hiei-chan?" He prompted.

"Do you want…" Damn. Why couldn't he just ask and be done with it? He never had this much trouble talking with people. Of course, he wasn't really close to them either. Fear of rejection. That had to be it.

Ayume sighed. "Hiei-chan, want to play a game?" He asked. "It's moderately simple, but you can't talk. You have to act out each word you want in a sentence and I have to guess it. You get to tell me if I'm wrong though."

Hiei nodded.

"Since you've already started your sentence, I'll assume you're starting with 'Do you want.' You have to act out the next one." Hiei wasn't sure how this would help when he couldn't even figure out what he wanted to say. Still, the next word would be easy enough. He pointed to himself. "Me?" Hiei nodded. "Do you want me…" Hiei held up two fingers. "To…"

Be. Be. How in the world did one act out be? Be. Be. Bee. He buzzed, drawing a swirly line in the air.

This confused Ayume a bit. "A fly?" Hiei shook his head. He pointed to a yellow flower and repeated the process. "A bee? Oh! Do you want me to be…" Hiei nodded. The next one was simple. He pointed at Ayume. "Ayume?" He thought a bit more. "You?" Hiei gave a half nod. How to get to your from you? He picked the flower and hugged it. "Mine?" Hiei handed the flower to Ayume. "Yours. Your. Do you want me to be your…"

Hiei pinched his finger together as if to say something _this small_. "Pinch? Small? Little?" Comprehension dawned on Ayume's face. "Do you want me to be your little brother?" He finished.

"You didn't let me act out the last one!" Hiei protested. Ayume smiled knowingly at him. The ground drew his eyes as he waited for Ayume's answer.

Ayume stared at Hiei for a moment. She'd learned from her mother that this was something demons took very seriously. There was actually a way to become blood siblings. She didn't want to do that before he even knew she was a girl.

Of course, there was a very simple way to fix that. She wound her fingers under his chin, tilting his head up, and kissed him on the forehead. "Yes." Hiei was startled. Ruffling his hair, she stood. "Let's take a walk Hiei-chan. We need to talk."

Youko was about to pull his hair out. Nobody, _absolutely no one_, had seen Ayume or Hiei leave camp. Kuronue and Judoka, a moth demon, were searching from the sky, but, with all the trees and misshapen rocks they could accidently be hiding behind, he didn't really know how much help that would be. It bothered him. Ayume rarely left the group unless it was to go to the bathroom or bathe, as she so often liked to do.

Neither of which warranted her being gone for two hours, nor explained why Hiei was missing too. The only thing he could think of that would keep them gone was them getting into trouble, but there wasn't much in these parts Ayume couldn't handle.

Unless she fell off a cliff or something.

Why the hell was she gone? Why was Hiei gone? Were they together? And why did he care so much? She was just another of his band, right? He'd never freaked out this badly when one of them had decided to take the scenic route and go missing for a couple of hours.

It wasn't because they were pressed for time. The band moved mostly at night, and it was still hours from sundown. Perhaps it was because she would have the best idea of where to look for Madain Sarai? Youko settled on this answer even though it didn't seem quite right to him.

Sensing his partner close by, he looked up. Kuronue came in for a running landing. "She's fine. They're fine. They didn't realize it would send us into a panic if they decided to take a walk and relax while we did the planning." A weight lifted off Youko's chest. He sighed.

"She didn't think to tell anyone?"

"I think she's got the idea of family still stuck in her head. If she would have told her brothers or sisters or parents where she was going every time she decided to go on an excursion, she'd never get any peace." Kuronue paused. "She…really gets to you, doesn't she?"

"Perhaps." Youko answered noncommittally. "I'm not entirely sure whether to be pleased she thinks of us as family, or if I should be upset she assumes we are the same as her blood kin."

"Blood or not, family is family." Ayume offered, sneaking up on him. Youko jumped, rose whip drawn, and twirled to face her. Her eyes danced with laughter as Youko calmed down. "Ha." She boasted. "I can sneak up on you, oh great King of Thieves."

"Nice one Ayume-kun." Hiei stated stoically from beside her.

"I'm no king. Where did you even come up with a crazy title like that? 'King of Thieves?'" Ayume just threw her head back and laughed. Youko growled. Laughing was not an answer.

It didn't take her long to calm down. "Don't worry. You will be." She informed him vaguely before walking off, cackling to herself.

Hiei looked up at him. "Ayume's weird." He said bluntly. Without explaining, he took off after her. The little demon was faster than Youko had ever given him credit for. He walked with her as she went to duck inside her little tent.

Kuronue let out a loud whistle, gaining everyone's attention. "Alright Men! We know where we're going! There's a good chance Madain Sarai is there, but also a chance it's not! We want to get there as soon as we can to find out!" He let them digest this information as his eyes flickered to Ayume. Obviously she'd already told Hiei about Kava, and he really didn't care what they decided to do beyond that. What could he say? Hiei _was_ a kid. "After much argument, Youko and I decided we could either gun it and rest there, or go slowly and preserve energy in case we need to look somewhere else. So men, the choice is yours. What shall we do?"

The roar of "Gun it!" could probably be heard for miles. In response, Kuronue raised his tankard, rousing another roar of enthusiasm from the men.

Kuronue watched Ayume refuse drink after drink. He barked a laugh when she smacked Kiev upside the head for offering Hiei one. He was watching her so intensely, in fact, Youko actually managed to startle him.

"You did that well. You didn't even let on that we had already decided." Kuronue took the praise with a smile. His eyes, however, did not falter from their position on Ayume. A great kid, a wonderful girl, and a beautiful woman. It hadn't been hard for her to win his heart. Nor was it difficult to win Youko's, though Youko didn't know it yet.

He wouldn't begrudge him this. Ayume was great, but Youko deserved her more. Kuronue also did not want to have her for such a short time. It would hurt her heart too much if he did that.

Youko noted his partners gaze with an emotion foreign to him. He felt ashamed about it. Jealousy was beneath him. It wasn't until he saw her get up and leave the party that a thought struck him. They had simply assumed she would come with them, but by their own word she was free to go home now. She was obligated only to find them the first clue.

Kuronue cast him a sideways worried glance. "Youko? What's wrong?"

"It's…nothing. I have to go." He excused himself vaguely. He could feel Kuronue's gaze on him as he followed Ayume.

She was waiting for him. "Youko-sama." She greeted. He was speechless. She seemed to take his silence offensively. "Can't even say hello?"

"Ayume-kun." It felt odd to refer to her as a boy. Even to say her name. He hadn't done it many times before, only once talking to her. Never had he used a title with it. "You realize you don't have to come?"

Ayume blinked at him. "I realize. I will anyways though. Or are you trying to get rid of me?" She teased. He shook his head. "Look, I know it probably doesn't make much sense to you, especially considering who I am. I don't want to leave. My family, they can do without me. I want to find out what living is _really_ like."

She brushed past him, not unkindly. Ayume was right. He didn't understand what she meant.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. I do, however, own everyone else.

**Chapter Five**

Ayume was walking with Hiei playing a word game when _humans_ got in their way. It was one of the few reprieves from running Youko was giving them once every four hours or so.

Ayume ran her eyes up and down the group. They were inviting trouble. Each man was armed with either a homemade spear or a scythe. She didn't think they would be much trouble until the Miko walked forward. Because they'd been traveling at night, Ayume hadn't seen her before she moved.

The entire group, save Ayume, was demons. None of them could fight a Miko. Automatically Ayume stepped in front of Hiei as the Miko's eyes flicked their way.

"Demons!" The Miko yelled. She was young, Ayume noted. Early twenties maybe. "Leave this place at once."

Youko was thoroughly annoyed. " That's what we _were_ doing in case you didn't notice. Then _you_ decided to stop us."

The men leveled weapons at the bandits, but the Miko held up her hand for them to wait. "If your intention was truly to leave us in peace, then you would not mind easing our fears by changing your course away from the village. Will you do this, Demon?"

"If it'll make this trip quicker, no problem." Kuronue remarked. "We don't have time to waste on you."

"Then take the path to your right. It will lead you demons around the village. We will have guards all the way around, so don't try anything." Youko looked like he wanted to attack her, but he thought better of it, instead leading his men in the direction she had indicated. " I said the demons could go, not you." Her voice cut through the air as Ayume went to go with them.

This was a problem. The Miko was smart. She'd placed them so that the men could easily cut her off from the group. She and Hiei were stuck on one side, the rest on the other. On top of that, the Miko had raised a barrier to keep them inside, the threat of purification looming, quite literally, just a few steps away. Ayume looked past the humans and quickly shook her head, indicating the others not to do anything stupid.

The Miko strutted towards her. She stopped less than a yard away, noting Ayume's protective stance in front of the demon child. "Humans who choose to live with demons are even worse than they are. Those who are bandits with said demons who steal from humans…" she shook her head, "Unforgivable."

"Get out of my way." Ayume growled, her tension setting Hiei on edge. "I didn't do anything to you."

"You're an insult to my kind. I exist to protect humans from demons, and here you are protecting a _demon_ from humans. How would you react, I wonder…" The Miko brought purification energy to her hand. Ayume didn't react as the Miko slapped her with the energy-charged hand.

The move that would have brought the higher class demons to their knees didn't even move Ayume an inch, though a hand-shaped red mark appeared on her cheek. She could feel it sting.

Ayume didn't put up with violence from anyone. Those who were her friends got paid back justly. Those she respected, she would use verbal slaps as payback rather than physical ones. Those she had no respect for, such as the Miko in front of her, would get what they served.

Ayume slapped her back, putting the exact amount of force and spirit power behind it that the Miko had. She staggered back. The men moved toward her, weapons raised. "No!" the Miko ordered as the bandit group moved forward to help Ayume if she needed it, ignoring the barrier. Some nearly fried. The Miko charged her hand again, this time far more powerfully. She moved to slap Ayume again.

At the last second, she changed direction to hit Hiei. Ayume had her dagger in the Miko's heart before her hand got within an inch of him. The men of her village watched her fall. Angrily they charged toward Ayume, but froze in fear mid-shout when she turned her icy gaze on them. "T-traitor." The Miko spluttered at her.

So the humans couldn't hear her, Ayume bendtdown and whispered, "You are a biased fool. Die knowing you lost for a fool's errand. Instead of protecting humans, you wanted to kill one who had done you no wrong." Ayume didn't even recognize her own voice. "And die knowing you damned your village as well."

"What?" The Miko demanded.

"The second you die, all the men here, which is all the men in the village, will attack me blindly. I will kill them. You die not as a protector, but as an executioner." Ayume stood. "I stabbed you in a place where you'll die the instant I remove my blade." She stated loudly. "Shall it be I or your village healer who truly kills you Miko?"

Instead of answering, the Miko reached her hand up to the blade in her chest. She ripped it out and cursed Ayume with her last breath. A cry rose from the village men. No angry look would stop them this time, but Ayume was far more pissed than they were. One human pulled out in front of the group and was killed almost instantly as her hand hit his neck hard enough to snap it in two.

Like a blur Hiei couldn't even see, Ayume moved among the humans, aiming to maim, not to kill. A few distinct times, her anger got the better of her and a human would drop instantly dead. Hiei had been frozen solid since that purification-powered slap had come close enough to have killed him. He couldn't make his legs move, even as Ayume became visible again in stillness as the humans all around her were either dead or writhing in pain.

Ayume walked over to him and knelt so they were at the same level. "I'm sorry, Hiei. It's my fault you were involved in this." She apologized softly. Ayume's hand found its way to his cheek, where the close encounter with purifying energy had burned his skin. Hiei saw a light blue glow out of the corner of his eye and the pain stopped almost immediately.

Hiei still couldn't find his tongue, but he hated to see Ayume blame herself. When she went to pull away, Hiei put his hand on Ayume's and held it there for a moment. He was calm by the time he let go a few seconds later.

"Ayume! Hiei!" a bunch of voices yelled. Ayume turned, seeing an entirely new threat. The Miko she'd killed apparently wasn't the only one nearby. An elderly woman dressed in a Miko's garb had an arrow pointed straight at them. The barrier hadn't dissipated yet, so Hiei and Ayume were on their own.

"A teacher. Great." Ayume groaned. She stood and turned entirely to face the woman, blocking Hiei's view of her entirely. "What now? Are you going to try to kill us too?" She called.

The Miko was so surprised she actually lowered her bow a fraction, but it snapped back into place, aimed directly at Ayume's heart. "Why should I not? Ye have doomed us all. Ye killed my successor. She was to protect this place after my death!"

"Then she shouldn't have picked a fight with me." Ayume replied, unconcerned. The arrow on the string pulled back even more. Hiei's heart was about to burst out of his chest. Even Ayume couldn't dodge an arrow shot by a skilled archer at this range. "Look, this wouldn't have happened if she would've just swallowed her ego and let us by. If it makes you feel better, you can hurt _me_ all you want, but don't you _dare_ touch him." she said, motioning to the child-demon behind her.

As she waved, Hiei felt her slam her power into the ground where it streaked toward the barrier containing their friends. The Miko didn't miss it either, because she put her own barrier up around herself, effectively nullifying Youko's attack and burning his hand. Growling, he retreated, along with the rest of the band.

Hiei looked behind him where the men had moved, Youko and Kuronue right up front. Both looked ticked beyond compare. The Miko's gaze flicked to them, afraid, but her arrow remained on Ayume's heart.

When it wavered toward the men, Ayume put her arms up. "I said you can hurt _me_ as much as you want. Leave them alone."

The arrow quickly re-sighted on Ayume and fired. It slammed through her shoulder and she fell back into a sitting position, but she didn't make a sound. Youko and Kuronue were by her side in a fraction of a second.

"I wouldn't touch it if I were you." Ayume bit out as Youko reached for the arrow. "She charged it."

"You would willingly die for them? Demons?" The Miko demanded as Ayume shooed Youko and Kuronue away. "Why?"

"They're the only ones who treat me as if I'm a person too." She answered, cutting off the feathered part of the arrow with her second dagger. She leaned forward so she could grab the head of the arrow. Hiei watched her grit her teeth and pull it the rest of the way through. Only he, Youko, and Kuronue were close enough to hear her whimper in pain.

Hiei moved in front of her as she tried to get up. Surprised, Ayume stopped. "Hiei?"

"Stop it. You don't have to protect us." Hiei sniffled. Ayume stood anyway.

"Hiei, I would rather die than let something happen to you. The others too." Still, Ayume didn't move out of the protective semi-circle the group had formed around her. "If she shoots me, fine. I'll live." She continued. "Do you know what'll happen if she shoots any of you?"

Some of the weaker demons shifted nervously as the Miko notched a second arrow. "I will doubtlessly regret this for the rest of my life." The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife. The Miko lowered her bow and dropped it. "Go."

Ayume stooped by the body of the younger Miko and retrieved her dagger. She looked up at the elder one. "Take care for the living." She advised before turning back to her friends.

The next morning Ayume sat repairing her shirt. At least at this point in time it wasn't odd to have bandages on. Her mind kept flashing back to the Miko she'd killed. Was this what it came to? She loved her friends. She loved her family. The two would eternally be opposing forces. Whichever side she chose, the other would hate her for it.

She'd just killed a Miko. That Miko could've been her mom, or her sister Likora. Her choice had already been made. She didn't regret it, but she hated how it had come.

And what to do? There was no possible way her family wasn't looking for her. Likora and their mother, Haru Avon, Miri, Katoko, Miyu, and their father. It would be a bloodbath when they found out.

Hiei, Livoso, Kiev, Kuronue, Youko. Even idiots like Uzi. She liked it with them. She felt more at home with them than she ever had with her mother. Going by their reaction earlier today, Ayume felt it was safe to assume they wouldn't just _let_ her family force her to leave if she didn't want to.

So what could she do?

She paused in her stitching when she heard someone coming. Looking up, she saw it was Livoso. His face was grim as he sat in front of her. "I overheard Youko and Kuronue talking earlier." He began. "Is your mother truly a Miko?"

Ayume froze, eyes wide. Great, he just _had_ to bring that up. She looked back at her stitching as she answered. "She is."

"Then I'm sorry. It must have been hard for you."

"Only afterward." She didn't say anything for a moment. "Livoso, tell me. Who exactly do you think I am?"

"Ayume." He answered without hesitation. She laughed shortly.

"Who is Ayume?" Livoso was silent for a moment.

"The most honorable, unprejudiced kid I know." He answered.

"When did you overhear that my mother is a Miko. Yesterday?" Livoso nodded. "Well…I'll give you another shock. After, I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Normally I wouldn't, but I guess if you know part of the story, it's only fair you know it all." Ayume paused. "Although I didn't inherit her powers, I am still my mother's daughter."

It took Livoso a moment to realize the significance of what she'd said. "You- you."

"Hiei, you can come out now. You don't have to sit there and eavesdrop." Ayume called. Sheepishly, Hiei rose from the nearby bushes and came to sit with them.

"You're not different because you're a _girl._," was the first thing out of Hiei's mouth. Blunt and undisguised, it made her laugh.

"You're a girl!" Livoso stuttered.

"Have I ever said otherwise?" She inquired. "To my knowledge, all of you simply assumed I wasn't." She wore a knowing grin.

"But you don't look like a girl!" Livoso protested. "You have no breasts…" automatically his eyes travelled down to the bandaging. "You…"

"I didn't have big ones to start with, so it was easy enough to bind them. As a guy, you can't even imagine how much they get in the way. Now this is _really_ personal. Can we move to something else?" She snapped. Livoso snapped his eyes back to her face.

"Uh…yeah." He agreed, face beet red. "Youko said you had brothers and sisters. How many?"

"Three brothers, three sisters and soon to be this one." Ayume answered, laying her hand on Hiei's head. He swatted it away like he always did, internally pleased she'd called him her brother. She laughed as he pouted at her.

"Hiei?" Livoso demanded. Like all demons, he took matters such as that with seriousness reserved for the most important of things. Becoming blood siblings was not a matter to be taken lightly, and he read in Ayume's eyes that she was well aware of it. "You are absolutely sure?" He asked.

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise." Hiei retorted. Livoso looked ready to say more, but he thought the better of it. The two were practically brothers –brother and sister- already.

She really hadn't gone out of her way to hide anything. Hiei didn't really care about any of the questions Livoso had. True to her word, however, Ayume answered every one. He listened to the endless rounds of question and answer, not really caring. After all, he'd heard most of it from Ayume the day before.

Eventually Livoso ran out of things to ask. By then, Ayume had long since finished fixing her shirt and put it back on. Hiei had fallen asleep and was snoring lightly from his place beside her.

"I can't wrap my mind around it. But I suppose it'll be easier to imagine later." Ayume nodded and he got up. "I'll see you…tonight." He said and wandered to his part of camp.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it already _is_ tonight. And they say women are chatterboxes." She grumbled. On the plus side, Livoso's constant chatter had actually kept her mind off the consequences of the night's events. The silence, however, brought them back.

Family or friends? Humans or demons? Why in the world couldn't she just love both? Why did her life have to flip upside-down on her?


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. I do, however, own everyone else.

**Chapter Six**

In two days the amount of people who knew the truth about her doubled. Youko had been so surprised when Hiei brought it up he had actually frozen in place. He said he knew Ayume was a girl and the daughter of a Miko. He asked why Youko had hidden it.

Youko didn't answer him, as per Ayume interrupting them. "Hey, are we going or what? I thought you wanted to get to Mount Kava as quickly as possible!" The look she gave Hiei was clear and impossible to misinterpret, _"Ask him about it later."_ Youko turned to Hiei, about to ask what that look was about, only to find the fiery little speed demon had already taken off to go stand by Ayume.

Hiei looked up at his sister-to-be. "You don't want me to ask him about it now. Why?"

"Because he'll pitch a fit and we're currently trying to go somewhere. We'll ask him together when we stop for the day. Don't even try to tell me he won't either Hiei-chan."

Hiei flushed, as he was about to do just that. "You can't entirely blame him though. Before you, he hated humans, and doesn't see many people as worthy of being a sibling. Add on to that we want to be _blood_ siblings and you're human…are you sure about this?" He asked, reminded of the fact she wouldn't be human for long.

"Hiei, I knew what would happen before I even said yes. I wouldn't have _said_ yes if I thought that too high a price to pay. Of course, if I thought that, I wouldn't really be worthy of being your sister, would I? Well, older sister, since you_ do_ have a younger one. I do hope to meet her someday."

"I'm not sure even I will meet her someday. I don't even know her name."

"I'll help you find her. You know, I'm surprised Livoso hasn't told Youko or Kuronue, considering his reaction when he found out."

"Livoso hasn't told us what?" Kuronue purred from behind them. Ayume didn't jump, for all she was startled. Hiei did. "Is there something the two of you need to tell us?" He asked, walking up next to Ayume.

The look in his eyes was one Ayume couldn't identify. "Of course." She answered without blinking an eye. "Not yet though."

"Oh? And why not?" He inquired politely.

"Youko will pitch a fit, and if you know it won't be long before he does. Too bad Kuro-sama. You'll have to wait." Kuronue narrowed his eyes at her, but he didn't push the subject.

Instead he made sure the men weren't walking close enough to hear. "You're mother's a Miko, yes?" Ayume gave him a confused look and nodded. "Why aren't _you_ a miko? I thought Miko trained their kids in the same arts."

Ayume's face cleared. Her voice was full of resentment when she began talking. "I didn't inherit my mother's power. A Miko is a Miko, trained or not, but if you aren't born with the power, you'll never be one. You can't imagine what a disappointment I was to her. Her first child, a daughter, the oldest child and I wasn't a Miko like she was." Ayume fell silent. Kuronue couldn't think of anything to say at first. That was probably the most personal thing Ayume had ever said in someone else's presence.

"Only the first?" Hiei asked.

"Only me. My sisters are all powerful Miko. My brothers didn't get shorthanded on holy powers either. I'm the little black sheep of the family."

"Black sheep?" Hiei demanded.

"Oddball. The one that's different from all the other ones. Hey Kuronue, answer me something. Why did you need my help so much with that poem? I know you and Youko aren't stupid."

Kuronue was silent for a moment. "We didn't. Not on the obvious stuff anyway. We didn't catch things like it's been found before, but we got the mines idea and the volcano area before you woke up. We had you explain it to see if we would reach the same conclusions." He left off that it was also a test to see if she would try to mislead them.

"You could have just asked me."

Kuronue shook his head. "That would have planted the idea in your head." He ruffled her hair and wandered off, hiding a smile at her indignant protest.

Hiei looked up at his sister-to-be. "How come you know so much about all the Madain Sarai and stuff? Youko and Kuronue don't know near as much as you, and they've spent years finding out all they can."

Ayume looked around, making sure they didn't have any eavesdroppers. "Some things, Hiei, don't touch the ears of anyone except in bedtime stories. The kind parents tell about what happened _to them_." She explained vaguely. It took Hiei a moment to understand.

"You…You…You…" She was _related_ to King Jules? "So you _know_ where it is?"

"Hardly. Jules wouldn't have told anybody _that_. Not _even_ his heir. I know _stories._ Legends, myths, facts mixed with so much fiction you can't tell what's really real by now. Didn't you wonder why my family just happened to be the ones guarding the map?"

"I hadn't really thought about it. He was your…"

"Grandfather, on my father's side. And a secret from my mother and the kids."

"Why do you know?"

She sent him an odd look. "Because I'm the heir." Hiei's eyes widened. "Madain Sarai is technically _mine_. At least, it will be when my father dies, not that he wants it. Not that I want it."

"But human women don't inherit."

"That's hardly how this works. It's the first-born who is the heir, not the first son. The others are obviously my mothers' children." She noted with a smile.

"So you don't have powers because you're Jules's heir?"

In answer, she stretched her hand out. Blue fire materialized, then thinned to the thread form she usually used before dissipating. "I inherited _Jules's _ kind of power, not my mother's. My father has it too. Not that regular people don't _have _spiritual energy, they just…"

"Don't know how to use it?" Hiei suggested. "Will I get it too?"

Ayume laughed. "Hiei, you already _have_ spiritual power. You use it every time you light a fire."

"That's demonic energy."

"Call it what you want, it's still the same thing. Demonic energy _is_ spiritual energy, just in a different form."

"So will I have both forms of it then?" Hiei persisted.

"Will I?" She retorted. Hiei stopped for a moment. She knew the basics of what would happen, more than he could expect of her, but she didn't know any more than he did exactly how it would turn out. "I won't be human anymore. Will my energy transform into demonic energy? Or will I retain mine and get the new as well? Or will I just keep what I have? I don't know Hiei. To my knowledge there isn't anything to go off of either."

"Will I still be a demon?"

"Of course. Maybe not completely, but mostly at least."

"So will you still be mostly human?"

"No. I'll be as demon as you. Didn't you know?" She asked, looking down at him.

"The only things I know about it are what my instincts say. Nobody ever _taught_ me this. Do you _want_ to be like me? I mean, with your mom and brothers and sisters…"

"If I didn't, I would never have said yes." She answered, falling immediately silent afterward.

"Why did you say yes?" She remained silent. "Tell me about your dad. What's he like?"

She laughed. "Dad is…something else. He's the kind of guy who'll murder you if you sneeze on him, but then he turns around and gives piggyback rides and wrestles with his kids. He's great to be around if you know him. Hard if you don't. Kinda like our fearless leaders up there."

"Youko-sama is not _great to be around_. Kuronue-sama either." Hiei contradicted her. She shook her head.

"You like them." She noted, calling his bluff. "You think they're entertaining, but you also respect them so much you fear them a little. It makes you want to keep your distance, so you can't really know them well. They can't know you either. However, you do hide a lot less since I came."

Hiei looked at her over her shoulder, surprised as he realized that what she said was true. "How do you know me better than I do?"

"I can see what you do. You don't always have such clear vision of yourself. To you, you will always be the hardest person to truly know because of it."

"It's hard to know yourself?"

"Only if you try. If you don't, you are simply yourself, and there isn't anything more to worry about. When you try to see yourself clearly though, the nice simple image is distorted. It becomes harder and harder to comprehend. People surprise themselves all the time because they can't see through that distortion."

"Do you surprise yourself, Ayume-chan?"

"All the time Hiei. All the time."

Youko saved her from having to explain herself by calling them to run. Ayume and Hiei ran with the rest of the small band of thieves.

That morning, Livoso caught up to Youko and Kuronue after most of the men had gone to sleep.

"What?" Youko demanded loudly. Kuronue hushed him. "They want to _what?"_

"So that must have been what they wanted…" Kuronue muttered. At Youko's look he elaborated, "When we took off last evening, they said they had something they wanted to ask you, but not until we stopped. Ayume –rightly- assumed you would pitch a fit."

"I am _not_," Youko growled, "pitching a fit." He tried to calm himself. "Hiei obviously has no idea what he is doing. Or asking. I'm surprised Ayume would agree to it."

"Think of it from Hiei's view." Livoso interrupted. "The kid's got no family. He ain't got much for friends either. Ayume is the big brother –sister- he never had already. She's the most important person in the world to him right now. That pro'ly won't change 'til he gets himself a sweetheart. If you were him, wouldn't you want to make it as real as possible?"

"And Ayume?"

"I caught up with her when she was alone. She knows everything."

"And she's still willing to go through with it?" Youko demanded incredulously. "Ayume, the daughter of a Miko, probably raised to hate demonkind, is willing to become one?"

"Of course I am." An easily recognizable voice stated from behind them. Youko twirled. "And you should already know why I'm here." She said seriously, casting a look at Livoso.

"There is no going back."

"I know it as well as you." She replied. "Youko, I love him." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts into words. "Before, I never would have considered this. You're right; I _was_ raised to hate demons. I'll admit to having my share of demons' blood on my hands. Never once did I mourn them. Killing them was my job as my mother's daughter. There was no anger or sadness or joy in it. Then Likora got old enough to start her Miko training, and it wasn't my deal anymore. Then you came. It wasn't my job to kill you anymore. That was left to Likora or our Mother. I could honestly have just let you steal the stupid thing and been done with it."

"Yet you broke it into a million pieces and slowed us down." Kuronue put in.

"I did. But, indifference isn't hatred. Much to my mother's displeasure, I never really hated demons. I saw a chance and I took it. You needed the map. There were only two ways for you to get it. The glass orb, or my memory. For my memory, you would have to take me with you. So I broke it. I went with you. Do you know what I found?"

Livoso smirked. "A bunch of rowdy demons who couldn't tell you were a girl."

"I found a family. One that's far more held together than my own, save a few…" She trailed off, referring to the Kahoka incident. "I found a clan of people willing to follow their leaders near anywhere. I found two leaders who deserved far more respect than my mother ever did. I found friends who would stick with me no matter what; even finding out I was a girl." She glanced at Livoso with a knowing smirk. "And I found a lonely boy who deserved far more than what life had handed him. I took that boy in, and found him to be a really good kid, one I could easily love. One I _do_ easily love. Don't tell me I should rethink this. I know what I'm doing." These last words were almost hostile.

Youko was silent for a few moments. "Alright. I'm sure you know all the consequences, but do either of you know how it works?"

"Why do you think we're asking?" She teased. "Demons don't really offer that information, so it wasn't really something Mother could include in our lessons."

"First off, you need the witness." Kuronue began.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. I do, however, own everyone else.

**Chapter Seven**

Kiev was surprised to be called out by Ayume to talk, though not nearly as surprised as he was about the content of the conversation. "So ye mean t' tell me yer not only a lass, but are going to tell e'ryone else. Then ye plan to ask them what you just confused the hell ou' of to wi'ness a cer'mony they hold to be such a high 'onor it's nearly forbidden." Ayume nodded, confirming he'd heard everything right.

"That sounds about right." She replied.

Livoso had no doubt been halfway between furious and indignant. He'd argued heatedly against the idea with Ayume when Hiei wasn't around. That was precisely why she had decided to tell Kiev without Hiei being nearby. However, calm-headed Kiev tilted his head back and let out a roar of laughter.

"Ye sure got guts A'ume. Some will dou'less be upset that yer a lass. I doubt, once told, an'one will think yer lyin' though. Nows I know, I can see it clear as day. The bond, though. That'll cause trouble. Philo or Icahn or one o' them hotheads'll no doubt start sommat."

"I've no doubt in my mind Kiev. But… it's something I need to do."

"Fer Hiei? Or fer yerself?"

"For both of us. As for telling the others I'm a girl, that's for everyone's sakes."

"And what of yer own family?"

Ayume was silent for a moment. "Dad will approve, since it's something I want. Mother will hate me for it. The others? I'm not sure they'll know for quite awhile. So, will you do it?"

"Aye, I'll speak fer Hiei along with Livoso, seein' as the tyke's got no right living family to do it as they should." Kiev answered without hesitation. Ayume hugged him instantaneously.

"Thank you!"

Youko stood in front of his men. "Ayume has both something to tell you and a favor to ask of you all. I am already aware of both things, so I expect no disrespect or," his eyes flashed, "outbursts." He looked every single one in the eye, making sure they got the message. Each of the twenty-odd men in the group nodded their assent.

Ayume took her place. She could see they were all expecting something bad from Youko's prompting them to behave. "About three months ago, I joined your number here." She began. "From that first day I had a secret I kept from all but Youko-sama and Kuronue-sama." This was the part she hadn't told anyone she was going to announce. She took a deep breath. "I am the daughter of the ones Youko-sama and Kuronue-sama sought to steal from the night I came to you."

It took less than an instant for many of them to be on their feet. Not simply because she was a girl, but also because it was common knowledge that the artifact their leaders had sought had been under the protection of a Miko. Those with cooler heads held their comrades back, wary of Youko's warning.

The shouts were impossible for her to talk over. Thankfully, Livoso intervened. "Hey!" He roared. "What are you lot shouting about? Who is the kid standing in front of us?"

Yuno piped up, one of the cooler heads thankfully, "Our brother Ayume." Though in this context, _brother_ was more a term of endearment. Yuno turned red. "Our _sister_, I mean." He corrected himself.

The crowd calmed as Youko seethed, hating not being informed beforehand that she intended to tell them that as well.

"You deceived us!" Philo called out, still steamed.

"I did not." Ayume stated, straightening to her full height. "Did I ever once tell you I was a boy? Did I ever once say I was _not_ born of a Miko? I may not have told you, but that simply means it was information deemed unnecessary. After all, Youko-sama and Kuronue-sama knew and didn't hold me to be any different from you for it."

Philo was not a close friend, but nobody in the band was too distant from anyone else. He'd sat at the fire many a dawn before bed and joked with Ayume about his –her- never drinking. He'd insulted him –her- by saying he –she- acted like a girl. She'd never protested.

"This band is more than just a bunch of thieves. What are we, truly?" She asked. "We're a family. A slightly dysfunctional family, true, but what else would you call it? Look next to you. That man is your brother or cousin. At first I didn't want to be part of it, but now? You tell me. What am I? Your sister, or a Miko's daughter?"

There was a long pause. "Our sister." Philo admitted.

Ayume was silent, even after the men had finished agreeing that she was, indeed, as much a part of the family as Youko or Kuronue. Hiei stood from the audience, as did Livoso and Kiev, and went to stand with her.

"My request of you, I think will cause you to be even more angry with me. Hiei asked me to be his sister, by blood. I said yes." Roars came from them. Her voice rose, sharp yet smooth. "I ask you to be our witnesses."

This silenced them. A blood bond was a high honor for anyone. It was unthinkable to them to have one performed amidst them. However, to be asked to witness was just as high of an honor. Such an event was a closed, family thing. Witnesses were necessary for legal reasons, especially in the higher families, but very few were asked; only those who were intimately close with the bondees.

"As Ayume said, this is a family." Hiei spoke up. "Is it so bad for me to want that to be real?" He asked, and those who were clearly expressing their dislike of the idea of him bonding a human relaxed a bit.

Ayume ruffled his hair.

Jinko stood. "I'll not witness." He declared.

Everyone was startled. Refusing once asked to be a witness was the same as stopping the affair altogether. No one asked refused because simply the words of asking to witness were binding. Unless all witnesses were present, the ceremony couldn't continue.

Icahn also stood. Youko went to stop them, but Kuronue held him back.

Ayume knew the procedure from here. Refusing such a position was a challenge to she who issued the request. Unless they were dead or agreed to witness, she and Hiei couldn't go through with the bond.

She stepped forward to the edge of the seated men. "If you'll not willingly witness, I've no choice but to make you." She challenged.

"Can you take us both?" Icahn sneered. Hiei moved forward, but was stopped by Kiev. What could he do? He was too young to stand a chance. This was something that would be Ayume's responsibility alone.

"If you will?" She sighed, addressing the rest of the band, who had through silence agreed to witness. They stood and moved out, creating a circle around the three fighters. "I ask you to reconsider." She said emotionlessly, already sinking into her battle-trance.

"I'll reconsider if you can beat me." Jinko answered. Icahn did not answer.

She had to be careful. She'd fought a lot of lower-level demons, but those in the band weren't pushovers. Kahoka was fresh meat, untried when she'd fought him. Livoso was far better than her in use of power, if he was not physically far superior to her. The first day had been more of an initiation than a duel. This was a no-holds-barred fight in which they had the advantage. They were physically powerful demons with a lot of demonic energy at their disposal, and there were no rules against teaming up on her.

There was also no signal to start. The two demons faced her and she them. For a moment no one moved. They sized each other up, reading each other as only warriors can.

Ayume started the fight. With speed that would put Hiei to shame, she dashed forward. Icahn pulled his sword out, but Jinko didn't move. Ayume jumped on the blade as it swept toward her and slammed her foot into Icahn's head before back flipping to avoid Jinko's attack. He was a whip user. Not as good as Youko, but good enough to send her back a few yards out of range. There was enough time for Icahn to recover before she attacked again.

Unlike her opponents, she didn't carry weapons meant to be used in the heat of battle. She had throwing daggers, used mostly with either stealth or her spirit energy. She was at another disadvantage here because of it. As a result, she tried her hardest to render their weapons unusable.

She slipped in between them, a very bad idea in battle. However after she dodged the first swipe of Icahn's blade, the onlookers understood why she had done it. Icahn was a close combat person. She'd slipped close enough to Jinko to draw him in so that if she dodged, he would hit her other opponent. Jinko now sported a wicked cut down his side. Likewise, Jinko couldn't so attack her with his whip when she dodged away from them because it would hit Icahn.

She jumped back as both attacked her at once, tangling their weapons together. She stood near the edge of the circle away from her opponents as they detangled themselves. "It seems this isn't going to work." Jinko commented, putting his whip away in his belt. Similarly, Icahn sheathed his sword.

Ayume barely had time to protect herself as two blasts of demonic energy shot at her. Her hands were burned in the quick defense, but the energy was successfully nullified. She jumped up as Icahn attacked, aiming his fist at the ground behind her. She landed on his back harshly, knocking him down. A second blast from Jinko made her move before she could incapacitate him. She got an idea as the two sent more demonic blasts her way.

Hiei shot forward as the attack knocked his would-be-sister through the ring of onlookers. Oddly, the blinding blasts didn't fade where they stopped. Kiev stopped him at the edge of the ring. He stared at the strangely long-lasting demonic energy and saw a few blue threads wrapping around them. The two demonic energies were forced together as the net finished.

Ayume suddenly became visible as she moved the energy to the side, the net visible connecting to her left hand. She became easier and easier to look at, and in a minute Hiei understood why. The bright ball of energy was disappearing. She was absorbing the demonic energy the two had tried to blast her with.

Aided with an enormous boost of foreign power, Ayume was back in the ring and on the attack in less than a second. She knew better than to try to hold the power. One of the first things she'd learned in energy manipulation was that a person could hold her own spirit and no more. Absorbing power for immediate re-use was all that was wise to do. Instead, she weaved all of the power into her attack, kicking Icahn straight out of the clearing.

A couple of onlookers went after him, checking to see if he was dead, unconscious, or coming back to fight. Ayume turned to Jinko. He smirked at her. "Smart, Ayume-kun. I should know by now you really aren't a pushover, but I really didn't expect you to be able to do this so easily. Icahn ain't comin' back. You made damn well sure of that."

"He certainly isn't dead." Ayume replied. "He isn't even knocked out. Why would you say he isn't coming back?" She demanded, ever on guard.

"He lost to you, after offering a grave insult you had every right to rebuke him for."

Her energy suddenly began to swirl around them, whipping up winds that blew most back from where they were standing. Hiei was surprised when, instead of turning it into an attack, Ayume formed and enormous barrier around the area. The large blue bubble shrank bit by bit, until Icahn and his handlers were dragged back into view. Livoso went and dragged him on his knees to watch the battle he'd forfeited.

"Are you sure you wanted to waste that energy on him?"

"If he were to run away, we couldn't do the bond. Now, we have something to finish."

Jinko just shook his head. "I wanted to see just how seriously you were taking this." He put his hands up in surrender. "We both know you have no more chance of beating _me_ than you do of beating Youko-sama." Formally, he announced, "I rescind my refusal to witness."

Ayume eased out of a fighting position as Icahn swore behind her. "I would have tried." She protested before turning to the one who had yet to agree to witness. The long string of curses that erupted from his mouth at her approach would have impressed anyone, Ayume included. Secretly she wondered exactly how many languages that had been.

"I ain't gonna witness no damn stupid blood bond between a _human_ and a _forbidden child._" He spat out.

Ayume backhanded him hard enough to send him sprawling, and knock Livoso off his balance. Before either could recover, she yanked Icahn up by the collar of his shirt out of Livoso's hold. "You can insult me all you want," she began in a deadly, ice cold voice, "but one more word against my little brother and I will cut you open and drag your insides out until _you're_ as inside out as the clothes you wear. I'll let you deal with that for a nice while before I kill you. Am I understood?" Icahn remained silent. She shook him roughly. "I asked you a question!"

"Understood." He croaked.

Livoso had to commend the girl. Demons took nothing short of a show of force as authority, and she well knew it. She'd never needed to bother before, so he wasn't sure if she was fully capable of asserting that authority.

She dropped him. "So, I have two choices. Option one, I kill you. Option two, I let you live. And these choices are based off of two choices you have. Option one, you continue your refusal to witness. Option two, you rescind your refusal to witness. I'll make my choice once you've made yours."


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. Everyone else, however, belongs to me.

Sorry for the late update, but I wasn't sure what to do for the blood bond ritual. I did some research, but most were either drinking each others' blood (cheap and corny) or cutting themselves and pressing the cuts together (cheap and too short). I finally figured out how to work it. You'll see it next chapter guys (sorry).

**Chapter Eight**

"I'm surprised the moron decided not to die." Ayume muttered when Youko dismissed the meeting. Livoso clapped her on the back.

"Nice goin' kid. I doubt anybody'll trouble you about this after _that_ display. So the date is set huh? Any nerves?"

"Not at present." Ayume answered honestly. "But seeing as we have five days to go, I assume as it gets closer I'll get more anxious." She shrugged. "What is time, Livoso? Time doesn't exist on its own. These concepts of day, hour, minute, week, month, year; where did they begin? Instead of saying it is five days away, I could say it is tomorrow, and be correct because it is a tomorrow of a day."

"Something's weighing on your mind that has nothing to do with Hiei or the bond." Livoso observed. "But to answer you, time was created to mark the difference between _now_ and _then_, whenever the person in question deemed then to be." He waited a moment before asking her what was wrong.

"Livoso, do you…no. Never mind." She tilted her head back to look at the sky. "What is time to a demon? To me, time has always counted down to when something would arrive. As far as I know, time is this way to all humans. Is it the same way to you?"

"We look forward, and we look back." Livoso answered uncertainly.

"To a human, time stops. We can look back, at what once was. Some get lost in it. But no matter what, everyone looks forward in time dreading that moment when time will no longer exist for them. We all feel a certain kinship with each other because of that. But demons don't always necessarily have that moment where their time stops. So how does a demon view time? Not as a countdown, but a timeline? This is what has happened and tomorrow I'll find what'll happen? Seven hundred years from now, I'll still be around to find out? If my time stops, it isn't because my time was limited in the first place?"

"Demons view the present as the most important." Livoso replied, more sure of his answer now. "What's already happened is unchangeable. And most of us have no way of knowing what's to come, so the common philosophy is deal with it when it comes." He paused. "What sparked all this talk of time?"

"I wonder if my time is the same as anyone else's. Until now, my time has flowed at the same rate as every other human. Now that rate is about to change drastically, and I wonder how it'll be in ten years when I look in the mirror and still see me exactly as I was when I was nineteen, when I expect to see someone who looks like they're nearly thirty."

"Immortality is not kind." Kuronue stated from behind them. Livoso jumped about a foot, but to her credit, Ayume didn't even seem surprised. "Especially to those who were not born to it. If I thought you didn't fully understand this, I would probably stop this ceremony in its tracks." He waited a moment. "You're too good a kid for it Ayume. But, I suppose if you weren't so good it would be unattainable to you."

"I'm not so good a person." She hesitated, "After all, I wasn't entirely certain from the beginning that I would help you once we got there. Or that I would really go all the way to Madain Sarai."

"What are you talking about?" Kuronue questioned.

Ayume frowned guiltily. "It's another reason you actually _need_ me along. Madain Sarai will only open to the heir. I really wasn't worried about telling you, because so long as I'm there we can get in. But if I didn't go along, you'd be standing outside the gates wondering for quite awhile."

"The heir…_you're_ Jules's heir? You've known this whole time where to find it?" Kuronue demanded angrily. Livoso restrained him from actually hitting her.

"Of course not. Do you really think greedy King Jules would actually tell anyone how to find his precious city of treasure? Of course not, not even his prince. He did, however, tell his son what a wonderful place it was, as well as what a defensible one, and my father in turn told me. Jules's next heir."

Kuronue calmed down as the logic of that statement sunk in. "Does anyone else know about this?"

"Hiei knows I'm the heir, but he doesn't know the gates will open for none but me or my father." Silence reigned for a moment before Ayume broke it. "Say something."

"It explains how you know so much. Even little comments here and there, stuff even we haven't found out after decades of digging." He paused. "What else do you know?"

"Madain Sarai does have treasure, but that isn't the only resource that kept Jules there for so long. It isn't that it can't be moved, or that he didn't want to take it. He left it there on purpose, because it's really a very good place to keep it."

"I think you're skirting the point."

"The treasure that is most immeasurable is the raw power the place produces. The place is flooded with it, and the power collects and crystallizes. There isn't much of any feat someone couldn't pull off within the walls, and the place creates its own fortune. Also, Madain Sarai is only one of many places that do this. Jules left and locked it up in order to find more, though to my knowledge he never succeeded."

Ayume, Livoso, and Kuronue were all silent for a moment. "We'll leave this for another time. We have more important thing to worry about than Jules's motivations. I'm disappointed you didn't tell us, but as you said it wasn't really necessary information."

Livoso piped up. "We have a big event comin' up. We need to plan the after-party." He said with a smile.

"Will I be conscious for that?" Ayume inquired. Livoso roared with laughter.

Kuronue chuckled. "Well, as unrefined as the suggestion was, Livoso has a point. All family events in demon society are followed by a gathering of some sort. As this is a happy event for the participants, custom dictates the gathering also be happy, therefore a party. And _you_ my dear have got some studying to do. Don't worry, you won't have to learn much for lines, but there are certain guidelines to follow for the entire ritual. Though the participants are allowed a bit of tweaking, to make it more personal." He threw his arm around her shoulders and led her away.

Hiei was in a full pout. Kiev nearly laughed when he saw the boy. "Wha's wrong 'iei? No' getting' to see enough o' yer sister-to- be?"

"She's always holed up with Youko-sama or Kuronue-sama. I don't get to see any of her, let alone enough." He complained.

"'Tis their duty, as the ones speakin' fer her, to teach 'er no' to screw up. As it is my an' 'ivoso's duty to ensu'e the same go fer you. So please stop poutin' 'bout no' getting' enough time together now when the two o' ye got the res' o' forever."

Hiei sighed. "I know. So, I can't eat for the entire day before the rite?"

"Ritual cleansin'. No food the day of. Nothin' but water fer drink. An' don't ferget a lot o' time alone to reflec' on yer decision."

Hiei shuddered.

Short, I know, but it's really just a prelude to Chapter nine.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. Everyone else, however, belongs to me.

**Chapter Nine**

Ayume admitted, silently, that she was _hungry_ after going without eating all day. Drinking nothing but water wasn't hard, as that was what she usually drank. Going all day with no contact with anyone didn't bother her either. Being alone was easier than being surrounded by a crowd of people as she had been for the past several days. She'd spent her time meditating. All over, it hadn't really been bad. But this was a bit much.

She did _not_ want to take a ritual cleansing bath in the mountain stream in the middle of winter. No matter how far south they were, that water was _icy_.

Sighing, she resigned herself to the fact she'd willingly signed up for this.

She stepped slowly into the water, lowering herself until only her head remained above water. Thankfully they'd at least allowed her to take her bath unsupervised. Generally before a rite, one was escorted silently through the entire process by their speakers. The band did take into account though that those speakers were usually the same gender as the participant and allowed her this small privacy.

Dunking her head beneath the water, she allowed the cold water to wash away all the worries of time, ritual, and her family that had been plaguing her mind before resurfacing. As her body adjusted to the not-quite-freezing temperature, Ayume gazed up at the sky. Thousand of stars on the night of the half-moon shone brightly on an unclouded night.

"All things living are halves." She chanted. "Half light, half dark; half good, half bad; half healthy, half sick; half pure, half tainted; half wise, half fool; half balance half chaos."

It was an odd feeling to have her mind focused on nothing. Even when she meditated, her mind was usually working on her worries.

When she started to shiver again, she rose from the water and slipped the thin, plain white robe on over her soaked skin. Automatically her hands moved to free her hair from the cloth.

As if they sensed her emergence, Youko and Kuronue appeared. Silently each offered an arm to her. Ayume took them, glad the waiting part was over.

While she and Hiei had been in seclusion, the band had been scurrying about getting everything ready. She had to admit, for a bunch of ruffians, they could pull off some amazing stuff. As the ritual was always performed indoors, they decided to use Youko's and Kuronue's tent, being the biggest. There was incense burning in all four corners of the tent. In the middle was a short table upon which were set a ceremonial bowl, knife, and a candle which provided what little light there was. On the east and west sides of the table there was one ornate pillow, probably stolen from some lord, for her and Hiei to sit.

Ayume sat on the east side where she was indicated. Hiei was not far behind her. Ayume was glad that this was _only_ the ritual, with not much for actual speech. Their speakers had done their job already, by instructing them and escorting them, so they moved off to the side with the other onlookers.

As she was the older of the two, Ayume began by setting both hands halfway on the table, palms up. Hiei placed his hands over hers. Neither so much as looked at the knife. This first part of the ritual had nothing to do with blood, after all.

Ayume gathered her energy to her hands, as Hiei did the same. Their joined hands began to glow a dim purple, Hiei's red demonic energy mixed with Ayume's blue spiritual energy. It felt a bit strange having Hiei's energy flowing with hers, but she released any fear of it that would make her block it out. After all, this acceptance was the entire point of the rite.

Energies still linked, the two pulled their hands away. Ayume sat up on her knees so she could reach him, and kissed Hiei on his forehead, taking the energy he offered. Again, it felt strange as his energy entered her body, but not in a bad way. Instead of mixing this energy with her own, she allowed it to flow into the bowl. The swirling red energy didn't even fill it up halfway.

She sat back down and closed her eyes, waiting for Hiei to repeat the action. It felt odd when he pressed his lips to her forehead, almost as if he was sucking her energy away, but she didn't resist. He took what he needed and put it in the bowl as she had. When she opened her eyes, the two energies were swirling around each other, but they had not mixed.

This was because they'd only finished half of the rite. Ayume took the knife and heated it in the candle flame so it would cut quickly and cleanly. She pulled it across Hiei's right palm horizontally. To his credit, he barely flinched. He took it from her and repeated her actions, slicing the skin on her right palm easily.

Youko and Livoso stepped in here to press the two cuts together and hold them over the bowl so two drops of blood fell in. A searing pain shot through Ayume's entire arm as Hiei's blood mixed with hers. She did her best to stay absolutely still, and not give Youko any trouble for holding her, but this was why one speaker from each side stepped in. Hiei jerked in her grip, but Livoso and Youko managed to keep them joined.

The pain did not subside, but it became easier to bear after a moment, and Youko and Livoso pulled away. At this point, they had the option of pulling apart themselves, as the binding was already complete. Hand in hand still, however, they both looked down.

The two drops of blood that had fallen in the bowl were absorbing the swirling energies. They crystallized once they'd absorbed it all and fell to the bottom of the bowl with a clink. The crystals were teardrop-shaped and lavender in color, as well as slightly see through. Identical in every way, they were the visual representation of what exactly had taken place during the rite.

Using her left hand, Ayume picked one up and pressed it to her lips. Closing her eyes, she extended her power into the little gem. Her eyes snapped back open when she sensed Hiei through it, and she saw he'd picked the other up himself. He smiled back at her as he pressed it to his lips as well.

Both gems let out a bright light. Ayume was blinded for a moment. When she could see again, she noticed Hiei's confused look, as well as the fact both gems had disappeared. Ayume and Hiei both pulled their hands back.

Youko, Kuronue, Livoso, and Kiev stepped forward worriedly. "What happened?" Hiei asked. Ayume leaned forward to seep the bangs off of his face, and as she did she saw a small lavender teardrop mark on his forehead. "What?"

"You have a mark on your forehead." She answered simply.

"You have one next to your eye." He replied. "It kind of looks like you're crying." He looked down at the cut on his hand, which was already healing. "Where did they go?"

She poked him on the forehead. "Right here, silly." She turned to the others. "What was that about an after-party?" she inquired with a small smile as they all started talking at once.

The after-party was more for the witnesses that for Hiei or Ayume. Neither of them was too keen on staying up for very long. They ate the simplest foods offered to them: some bread, cheese, and water.

As the men celebrated, Ayume snuck off. Kuronue and Youko followed her. "It's going to be painful for you tonight." Youko stated, referring to immanent change in her body from a human to a demon.

She smiled weakly at him. "I know it's going to be." She paused. "I told you I knew pretty much everything except for how to do it. Still, I think it's easy to say you know, and quite another to actually experience it."

Kuronue nodded. "I wouldn't want to do it." When he saw her wince he asked, "It's already begun, hasn't it?" She nodded. "That's amazingly fast. Usually it takes hours to begin."

"Sorry guys, but if you don't mind I'd like to be alone tonight."

"But…" Youko began, "what if something happens. You won't be able to protect yourself." She remained silent. "We'll leave you alone," he conceded, "but we'll stay near enough to you to sense if something's wrong. On this point, I won't budge."

She smiled at him and waved them off.

"What do you mean she left?" Hiei demanded.

Livoso paused. "Hiei, you have the easy end of this. You barely change at all. Ayume, on the other hand, has to go through a full transformation from a human to a demon. It's a very painful process, and she probably didn't want any of us to see her like that."

"But I-."

"Hiei, she needs space for this. If you see her in such a weakened state, it'll only hurt her pride too, and she's a very proud little lass. Come enjoy the party. It's in your honor, you know."

Livoso led him back to the others.


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. Everyone else, however, belongs to me.

**Chapter Ten**

Hiei shot up from his sleep. He felt a vague sensation of pain, but it didn't belong to him. Kiev had explained to him that the two gems they'd absorbed were connected. Strong emotions or feelings could be transferred through them, even without the person's trying to send it.

She would try to restrain this. It must be terrible if, even through that, the sensation was enough to wake him up. He was up and halfway out of the tent before he remembered he'd promised to leave her alone for this. He considered for a moment before deciding he would just go check on her. She didn't have to know he was there.

It was an odd feeling, trying to track the sensation. The only thing he could do was walk and see if it got stronger. It took him several tries, but finally he ended up walking in the correct direction. She wouldn't' have gone too far right?

Apparently far enough. He'd been walking toward her for nearly ten minutes when two figures blocked his way. He immediately fell into a defensive stance before he realized it was Youko and Kuronue.

"Hiei? What in the _world_ are you doing out here? You should be asleep!"

"I wanted to see Ayume." He replied easily. Youko and Kuronue exchanged a look. "What's that?"

"It isn't a pretty sight Hiei. She won't want you seeing her like that." Kuronue began. "It's a painful process." He added, seeing Hiei's determined face.

"I know. I can sense her pain." That startled Youko.

"She actually let some of it slip through? That's odd. It should be finally subsiding by now. It's nearly dawn already." He pondered.

"Maybe the pain subsiding a bit made her lose her grip." Kuronue put in. "It's bad enough to restrain it at its worst. When it starts getting better, who would want to keep holding all that pressure."

"I'm going to go see her." Hiei informed them.

Youko sighed. "I can't really blame you. And as you are her family, I can't really deny you either. But keep in mind Ayume doesn't want you seeing her like that, and if you can sense her nearby, then she can sense you too. You won't be able to fool her, you know." He warned Hiei before motioning for the boy to follow.

Ayume bit down on the fist she'd shoved in her mouth hours ago to keep from screaming as another wave of pain struck. It was getting better, a little. The waves of pain had more time in between, and didn't seem to last nearly as long. Still, for the entire night it had felt like someone had taken a red-hot poker and twisted her insides around with it.

Something on the edges of her senses tingled. _Hiei__is__awake_, she noted as the pain subsided again. As her mind shifted to pay more attention to him, she noted that her sense of him was getting stronger…clearer…_closer_.

No way in hell. He was _not_ going to see her like this. Hoping she had the bouts of pain timed well by now, Ayume uncurled herself and staggered to her feet. She stumbled out of the small clearing she had chosen, making it well into the darkness of the tree line before sitting back against a tree for the next wave of pain. She repeated the process again once the pain faded again, ever moving away from her little brother.

Of course Youko and Kuronue couldn't really stop him. She hadn't expected them to even need to. Hopefully by the time the three of them caught up with her she would be more thoroughly in control of herself. Thankful that they weren't speeding up at all, she continued stumbling, eventually turning enough so they were headed back to her small clearing.

"You're leading me in circles!" Hiei complained once he realized what the adults were doing.

Youko and Kuronue both looked back at him. "That, dear Hiei, is because Ayume is moving _away_ from us in circles." Kuronue replied.

"She doesn't want you to see her." Youko added. "I warned you that you wouldn't be able to fool her."

"So why don't we speed up? She can't be going that fast."

"Because if we speed up, she will too. It's dangerous enough for her to be moving right now. I don't want to think of what it would do to her body if she were to go any faster." Youko answered.

Hiei stopped completely. "So I'm hurting her?" He demanded. Both adults flinched.

"Rather, causing her to hurt herself." Kuronue replied hesitantly, not really able to lie. Hiei stopped walking abruptly.

"So-." Both adult demons snapped to attention, interrupting Hiei's thought. "What is it?"

"Something is near Ayume." Kuronue explained quickly as Youko took off. "Youko is going to protect her, since she is…indisposed at the moment. _You_ are going to head back to camp and wait for your sister like a good, patient little boy, even if I have to drag you there myself."

"But-."

"No buts. She doesn't want you near her and is jeopardizing herself to make sure you aren't, both by moving in her condition, and by distancing herself from the two of us who are protecting her. You'll just have to wait."

"I can't help protect her?"

Kuronue held him with a look that clearly stated he already knew the answer to that.

Ayume was not quite sure what kind of demon this thing was, but it had pretty rotten timing, showing up as another wave of pain hit her. Thankfully, whatever attack it had tried to use went, quite literally, right over her head as she rolled herself onto a painful little ball.

"You smell delicious, little morsel," it laughed in a very grainy voice. "I will enjoy eati-,"

Curious as to why she wasn't dead, Ayume waited the few more seconds it took for the pain to fade before looking up to see what had cut it off. She hadn't really entertained the idea that cutting it off was literal until she saw its head and limbs separated from its body.

"You are unhurt?" Youko's silky voice demanded.

"Not by that." She answered shakily. As she attempted to, again, rise to her feet, she found herself scooped up, gently, into Youko's arms. "Youko-sama?" she squeaked.

"Stop moving. Kuronue is making sure Hiei leaves you alone for the duration of the change. _I_ cannot and will not be persuaded to leave you alone again until you are able to defend yourself." He stated already walking back to her clearing.

Seeing it would be pointless to argue, Ayume settled down and enjoyed the unique sensation of being handled as though she were a kitten. "Won't be too long now." She replied sleepily.

"One would assume not. It has lasted nearly five hours already."

Youko was surprised when she jerked in his grip. "Five hours?" She demanded. "It seems like it has been a lot longer than _that_. How long does this usually take?"

"There aren't many examples to go off of…" He tried to answer, but her body tensed and curled in his arms. He knew to stop moving, for even as gently as he was walking it would have increased her pain. He counted in his head until she relaxed again. Twenty-two seconds. Damn good in comparison to the eleven minutes she'd started at. And there had been nearly three minute hang time whereas at the beginning there was only a few seconds. "At the rate you are improving, I would say it should be complete within the hour." He informed her.

Her only response to him was a tired smile.

True to his word, once they arrived in her clearing and he set her down again, he didn't bother to remove himself from the area. He watched in silence as the bouts of pain grew less potent, and farther between. Ayume was thankful for the silence. She wouldn't have responded to much of anything he said anyways.

Nearly an hour later, once the waves of pain had nearly dropped off, the worst one hit. Quite the finale, it felt like every cell in her body was on fire. No, even worse than that. A small part of her mind registered that she hadn't held in the scream of pain this time, but she didn't care.

Youko was startled out of his trance when she let out a strangled scream. She was writhing in pain as he hadn't seen her do all night. What in the world was wrong? Had something actually gone wrong with the change, or was this just the end of it?

Were he human, his heart would have stopped when hers did. She stilled completely, as abruptly as her heart had stilled. For a moment all was silent in the clearing as he strained his ears to hear something –_anything-_ to say she was alright.

Then, to his relief, she turned her head and opened exhausted eyes to peer at him. "Is it over yet?" She demanded sleepily.

Barking out a laugh fueled both by his relief and her comment, he strode over to her and picked her up again. "It's over, Love." He told her. "Go to sleep."

For the first time since he'd met her, she was both quick and willing to obey.


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. Everyone else, however, belongs to me.

**Chapter Eleven**

Ayume woke abruptly, shooting into a sitting position, startled. Hiei, sitting at her bedside, jumped and fell backwards. "What is that for?" He demanded.

Instead of answering, her hands went up to cover her ears. "Why is everything so loud?" She complained.

Kuronue's dark laugh sounded from the corner of the tent where he and Youko stood. "You're a demon now. It really isn't any louder than usual; your hearing is just better than before."

Ayume frowned at him before getting to her feet. Youko caught her when she wobbled. "What in the…?" She trailed off.

"It'll take getting used to. You're body is much better than before. You're stronger. You probably used a bit too much strength to get up, so you lost your balance."

"So I have to relearn everything is basically what you're telling me." She retorted.

Hiei tugged on her sleeve, "It isn't that bad, Onee-chan. You're good at everything." He stated simply. "You'll be good at being a demon too."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ayume mumbled as she exited the tent.

"So, the lass is awa'e now i' she?" Kiev asked from beside her.

"No, I'm sleepwalking." Ayume replied, completely straight faced. Kiev, Youko, Kuronue, and Hiei all laughed.

"So now our little princess has officially joined our ranks." A voice sneered.

Ayume whirled. Icahn stood there, looking rather full of himself. Though she hardly cared what this jerk thought of her, she growled at him, surprising herself. Since when could she actually growl?

Youko stepped forward, knowing full well Ayume was in no way in control of her body yet. "Do you have a complaint, Icahn?" He asked in a dangerous voice.

"Yes, I do. We are _supposed_ to be looking for Madain Sarai. We've spent a week here already, and we'll have to spend at least four more for her to find her legs again. Why not just leave her behind and get back to what we _were_ doing before she decided to slow us down?"

Kuronue stepped forward, grabbing Icahn by the collar and lifting him off the ground so they were face-to-face. "The reason we can't just leave her behind is we _require_ her help. Not only that, but since she joined us, she has been quite an asset, even you can't deny that. This is your second warning. Do not question your leaders' decisions again, or you know the consequences." He hissed before dropping the demon unceremoniously back onto the hard ground. Growling, he slowly got to his feet.

Icahn lunged at Ayume, claws drawn. In a move she'd practiced a thousand times, she dropped to the ground and twirled, kicking out with her leg. Although the attack was, to her, the same as it had always been, the effect was viciously amplified. Rather than being forced back a few feet clutching his side where she'd struck, he flew away from her, landing a good thirty yards away.

Ayume stared after him in open-mouthed surprise from her crouched position.

Hiei was just as amazed. "Will I be able to do that one day, Onee-chan?" He asked excitedly. "Someday, will I be as strong as you?"

She gave him a hesitant smile. "Of course. One day you'll be knocking people straight into oblivion." At his too large smile, she added, "But you still won't be able to beat _me_ Hiei-chan."

Hiei deflated a bit. Kuronue barked a laugh. "Looks like you'll have to pull your punches even more than usual, Ayume." Still chucking, he addressed Hiei, "_You_ are the one who gave her the extra power that allowed her to do that, you know."

Ayume watched Hiei in amusement as he clammed up. It seemed that although he felt no need to hold his tongue when addressing _her_, he still had reservations with other people.

Ayume rose to her feet for the second time that day, this time much more stable, as Youko hauled Icahn to his feet. "Imagine that, Icahn. You just got beaten by a newborn demon." He stated emotionlessly.

"And, if you were counting, this is your third screw-up in the past week." Kuronue added merrily.

Ayume covered Hiei's eyes as the demon began to thrash about in Youko's hold. "One day, everyone here will turn on you, Youko-_sama_." He spat. "One day, you'll wish you were dead for the payback they'll give-."

Youko's man eating tree interrupted his sentence.

Ayume had only seen the plant once before, used on an enemy of the band. She knew Youko and Kuronue favored her more than they should have, but to see such an attack turned against a once-ally made her reconsider her meaning to him. She _was_ a strong member of his band, she _did_ represent the only way into Madain Sarai, and she _had_ helped them to accomplish their goals, but that alone did not warrant _this_ level of favoritism.

So why was their reaction so severe? Did they feel protective of her because she was a girl? Which led her to another thought entirely: did they…_love_ her?

It would explain the reaction, but that couldn't be it. Not a person like _her_. It had to be something else.

Then, at that precise moment, something put her on guard. She wasn't sure what it was, but _something_ was off. Nothing smelled different. She looked around, seeing nothing, when the answer hit her like a brick.

It was quiet. She could not hear the too-loud chatter of her band-mates. Her eyes were drawn to them as they looked at Youko solemnly. Was this normal? She knew they only gave three chances, but was the execution usually like this?

Never had she wanted to be a source on disquiet amongst her new family. And yet, everywhere she went only chaos seemed to follow. It was a terrible thing for her to inflict it on these men, those who she'd grown to love so much. But they _needed_ her. She couldn't just leave.

And what of Hiei? What did he think of this?

Thoughts of her newest little brother drew her eyes to him, and he returned her gaze without wavering. His small smile was…sad, but comforting. His eyes held only love for her.

He could sense her confused emotions.

What in the world? She was usually much more in control of her emotions than _this._ Hiei never should have sensed it through the bond. Heck, she should have been able to stop them in their tracks.

Perhaps this was one of those things that made demons have such short fuses.

Her sisters and brothers had never known how she felt. Her sisters, Likora, Miri, and Miyu had never bothered trying to understand her, much more concerned with their duties as miko-in-training. Her brothers Katoko, Avon, and Haru had been much the same way. Far younger than she was, they didn't understand how she felt, or why in the world she would ever feel that way.

Only Hiei had tried, and he'd been her brother for less than a day. He would never look at her with the disdain they were sure to show her now.

She would strive to be the best sister he could ask for.

Hiei's small hand found hers, and he squeezed it a little for comfort. She felt herself calming down. Ayume squeezed his hand in return, grateful.

Youko hadn't had to kill one of his men for disobedience in a long while. The execution had been quicker than most he remembered. But, then again, he usually used a different method for it.

His band members looked on solemnly, as they always did. Save for Ayume, they'd all seen at least one of their own be stupid enough to warrant his punishment.

Not one questioned it. He'd not only questioned his leaders twice, but he'd attacked another member of the band. Although they may look past the first offence, to all present the second was unforgivable.

Nobody questioned it, except him. He was rarely so quick to kill his own, even if they had broken such a rule. Only this time, Ayume was involved. Was she why? Was he so taken by her?

He was. With a sigh, he realized that he would probably be just as ruthless to any threat to her.

He once was sure that Kuronue had felt the same way, but that wasn't true anymore. Kuronue regarded her as a sister, as most of the band did. So he had realized how Youko felt before Youko did and stopped his feeling for her from evolving any further.

Damn, but how could he be so clueless? "Get back to whatever nonsense you were doing." He ordered his men. "We leave tomorrow night."

"Nice kick Kid." Livoso told Ayume, walking up to her. "I believe you've grown quite a bit in power overnight. I'll need to avoid sparring with you for awhile." He told her with a wink.

Youko probably would have strangled him out of jealousy when he saw her bright smile in return, had Kuronue not set his hand on his shoulder. "You and I need to have a chat."

Despite Livoso's teasing, he and Kiev were happy to test her new strength, as well as help her get a handle on it herself. It felt as if everything she did now required no energy at all for the desired effect. So, she began to make the habit of using half the strength she thought it should take to do something, and it was effective, though sometimes it was still a bit overboard.

She still had her spirit power, but she also had demonic energy. The spirit energy she had, at least, had not changed, but she wasn't entirely sure what to do with the demon energy.

"Ye'll ha'e to _use_ it. I' won' jus' sit tight whi'e yer spiri' ener'y ge's used up. Be'er te learn how now." Kiev told her when she'd cut off the energy flow as the demon power mixed with her spirit power.

So she allowed them to mix. Livoso was quick to tell her it added quite the fiery element to her attacks. "Not surprising, seeing as Hiei _is_ a fire demon." Ayume noted. "Y'know, we've been at this for hours and hours, but I don't really feel tired at all."

She sat back and stretched her legs out in front of her as Livoso and Kiev both lay back in the grass. "You're a lot stronger now, and not just because you're a demon. You were powerful as a human, and your new demon blood reacted to that strength. You're probably on equal footing with Youko-sama and Kuronue-sama now, or you will be once you can control your powers again."

She went to bend a stick she found laying on the ground, accidently snapping it in half. "I don't really like the sudden boost though. It throws everything off. At least when you build your power and strength slowly, it never takes you by surprise. This…it feels strange. As if it's not even me." She looked at the stick in her hands. "It's scary. It feels like I'm going to break everything I touch."

"Can' really rela'e te tha' one. I' ne'er had such a su'en boos'. Nor ha'e many o'er demons fer tha' ma'er." Kiev stated. "Bu' yer more worthy of i' since it bo'ers ye. Too many demons woul' wan' such a thing in the wors' of ways."

She shot him a quick smile. "I wonder where Hiei wandered off to. He usually sticks pretty close."

"While you and Kiev were sparring he said he was gonna go train some himself." Livoso replied.

Much easier than that morning, and much more gracefully, Ayume rose to her feet. Both of her friends gave her confused looks. "Let's go see how he's doing." She said with a wink.


End file.
